2026/02/12 by Lucía Jiménez‐Castro, Alba López‐Laguna, Dolores Fernández‐Ortuño +2 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Plant and Fungal Interactions Research #RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms #Fungal and yeast genetics research
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/pbi.70526
openalex publication_date 2026/02/12 · openalex created_date 2026/02/13 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Phytopathogenic fungi pose an escalating threat to global food security and ecosystem stability, as resistance and environmental concerns diminish the effectiveness of conventional fungicides. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-based fungicides offer a species-specific, eco-friendly alternative. We introduce LUCID (Locating Uncovered, conserved, and Indispensable for pathogenicity Determinants), a computational pipeline that accelerates the development of RNAi-based biofungicides by integrating target identification with dsRNA design and off-target prediction. LUCID employs a dual-branch strategy to identify both Conserved Essential Proteins (CEPs) and Conserved Non-Annotated Proteins (CNAPs), leveraging transcriptomic data and comparative genomics across diverse fungal species. Validation in Botrytis cinerea demonstrated high efficacy, with 67% of proposed targets successfully silenced and an average silencing efficiency of 96%. Additionally, coupling LUCID with advanced protein language models (PLMs) revealed a novel pathogenicity determinant in B. cinerea: a putative mediator complex protein. LUCID offers a scalable, species-agnostic framework for designing sustainable fungicides, enabling rapid, targeted control of fungal diseases with minimal ecological impact.