# Using transcriptome analysis to evaluate the impact of dsAllim cotton on non-target organism O. similis

## TL;DR

This study evaluates the safety of dsAllim cotton on a beneficial insect, finding no harmful effects on its development or gene activity.

## Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence that dsAllim cotton does not harm the non-target predator Orius similis.

## Key findings

- dsAllim cotton had no adverse effects on the biological parameters of Orius similis.
- Transcriptome analysis showed no significant impact of dsAllim cotton on Orius similis.
- The findings support the safety of dsAllim cotton for non-target beneficial insects.

## Abstract

The application of genetically engineered (GE) crops in pest management raises biosafety concerns among governments, the scientific community, and the public, especially with the emergence of RNA interference (RNAi)-based crops expressing insecticidal double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). These crops may pose challenges to public health, agriculture, and conservation, and they could also present risks to non-target organisms, including beneficial natural enemies of pests. Natural enemies of insects are a significant component of global biodiversity and play a crucial role in managing insect pests within agroecosystems. This study addresses the biosafety concerns associated with insect-resistant transgenic dsRNA-expressing crops, focusing on their potential unintended effects on non-target organisms, particularly natural enemies.

We combined biological and bioinformatic approaches, utilizing both food-chain delivery and animal-feeding systems, to comprehensively evaluate the potential unintended effects of exogenous insecticidal dsRNA expressed by dsAllim cotton on the biological parameters and transcriptome of the cotton-field predatory natural enemy, Orius similis.

The findings indicate that dsAllim cotton had no adverse effects on O. similis, suggesting its potential safety for non-target beneficial insects. At both developmental and transcriptomic levels, dsAllim cotton showed no significant impact on O. similis.

These results support the use of dsAllim cotton as a reference in developing regulatory frameworks for the risk assessment of RNAi crops. Together with previous research, our findings underscore the importance of conducting RNAi crop safety evaluations for non-target organisms on a case-by-case basis, with particular attention to potential off-target effects.