Abstract:  RNA interference (RNAi) in insects mostly refers to the process that double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) silences the specific target messenger RNA (mRNA) via inhibition of translation or transcription. Recently, RNAi technology has been mainly applied in the research of functional genomics and pest control due to its high specificity. This review focuses on three common ways (microinjection, feeding, and soaking and transfection), which deliver dsRNA in entomological RNAi research. Among these three ways, microinjection can deliver exact amount of dsRNA to target tissues, which is more suitable for gene functional study in the laboratory. Feeding is easy and fast to perform, which is suitable for high-throughput gene screening. Soaking and transfection is also suitable for large-scale gene screening, but more commonly used in cell research.

Key words: Insect, gene silence, RNA interference (RNAi), dsRNA delivery, pest control