Peer Review History

Original SubmissionJanuary 6, 2023
Decision Letter - Basavantraya N. Devanna, Editor

PONE-D-23-00481Golden Gate assembly for Sitobion avenae laccase silencing and its application as a biopesticidePLOS ONE

Dear Dr. Afroz,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process.

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The article "Golden Gate assembly for Sitobion avenae laccase silencing and its application as a biopesticide" has merit, and needs to address the points raised by the reviewers. Authors are suggested to include original gel images for the gels given in this article. The detailed review reports are attached for the authors information.

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Please submit your revised manuscript by May 04 2023 11:59PM. If you will need more time than this to complete your revisions, please reply to this message or contact the journal office at plosone@plos.org. When you're ready to submit your revision, log on to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ and select the 'Submissions Needing Revision' folder to locate your manuscript file.

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We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Basavantraya N. Devanna, PhD

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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Additional Editor Comments:

This article has merit, however the language and contents needs to be improved for better readability.

Please find the detailed queries from the reviewers.

[Note: HTML markup is below. Please do not edit.]

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: The manuscript entitled "Golden Gate assembly for Sitobion avenae laccase silencing and its application as a

biopesticide" reports a details investigation of RNAi strategy to control Sitobion avenae. The manuscript can be accepted in its present form, however a extensive proofreading is suggested to improve the readability of the manuscript.

Reviewer #2: In this manuscript, author evaluated efficacy of Lac. The manuscript is well written and meet the quality of this journal. I would recommend this manuscript for publication with minor revision.

Comments:

Why only authors selected dsRNA 20 ng μL−1 con. for bio-efficacy study?

1. The current title will not fit and need to be change

2. What is the efficiency of RT-PCR and qRT-PCR primers? are these validated? If yes, data should be included.

3. Line number 187-204 need to be merged and re written

4. Line number 150-157 and 234-242 are seems to be same.

5. All sub title are inappropriate and follow first letter as upper and the rest lower case

6. Fig.4, 5 and 6D, are looks bad quality and edited. submit original gel images.

7. Author tested six different concentrations of Acetosyringone and how is the transformation efficiency calculated and data should submit either in table or graphical

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6. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes: Yugander Arra

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[NOTE: If reviewer comments were submitted as an attachment file, they will be attached to this email and accessible via the submission site. Please log into your account, locate the manuscript record, and check for the action link "View Attachments". If this link does not appear, there are no attachment files.]

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/. PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at figures@plos.org. Please note that Supporting Information files do not need this step.

Attachments
Attachment
Submitted filename: PONE-D-23-00481.docx
Revision 1

Editorial Comments

Please ensure that your manuscript meets PLOS ONE's style requirements, including those for file naming.

Answer: The manuscript is according to PLOS ONE requirement; Crosschecked.

2. In the Method section permits you obtained for the work. Please ensure you have included the full name of the authority that approved the field site access and, if no permits were required, a brief statement explaining why.

Answer: Work is performed in the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Gujrat, Gujrat Pakistan is added to the Methodology.

3. PLOS ONE now requires that authors provide the original uncropped and unadjusted images underlying all blot or gel results reported in a submission’s figures or Supporting Information files. This policy and the journal’s other requirements for blot/gel reporting and figure preparation are described in detail.

Answer: All original figures are attached (File Name: Original Figures).

4. In your cover letter, please note whether your blot/gel image data are in Supporting Information or posted at a public data repository, provide the repository URL if relevant, and provide specific details as to which raw blot/gel images, if any, are not available. Email us at plosone@plos.org if you have any questions.

Answer: Not Applicable. All figures are in original figures.

5. We note that Figures 1 and 7 in your submission contain copyrighted images. All PLOS content is published under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which means that the manuscript, images, and Supporting Information files will be freely available online, and any third party is permitted to access, download, copy, distribute, and use these materials in any way, even commercially, with proper attribution.

Answer: Figures 1 and 7 were the original figures that seems to be similar to some previous report. The figures are replaced with new ones.

6. Please include captions for your Supporting Information files at the end of your manuscript, and update any in-text citations to match accordingly.

Answer: Caption of supporting information is included & Highlighted.

Answer to the Reviewers 1

I am thankful to the reviewer for their valuable comments.

Comment 1. The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. All data underlying the findings in their manuscript is fully available. The manuscript is presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English.

The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented. Statistical analysis has been performed appropriately and rigorously.

Answer: Thanks for the comments. The conclusion had been changed.

Reviewer #1: The manuscript entitled "Golden Gate assembly for Sitobion avenae laccase silencing and its application as a biopesticide" reports a details investigation of RNAi strategy to control Sitobion avenae. The manuscript can be accepted in its present form, however, extensive proofreading is suggested to improve the readability of the manuscript.

Answer: Proofreading is done and checked by Dr. Shaukat Ali.

Answer to the Reviewers 2

Reviewer # 2: In this manuscript, the author evaluated the efficacy of Lac. The manuscript is well-written and meets the quality of this journal. I would recommend this manuscript for publication with minor revision.

Comments:

1. Why did only authors select dsRNA 20 ng μL−1 con. for the bio-efficacy study?

Answer: dsRNA 20 ngL-1 had been reported in previous reports for dsRNA assay. It is previously checked in OBP8 in our previous reports. It is cited now (Line # 155, 177).

2. The current title will not fit and need to be changed.

Answer: The Title is changed from “Golden Gate assembly for Sitobion avenae laccase silencing and its application as a biopesticide” to

“Production of Sitobion avenae-resistant wheat using laccase as RNAi target and its systemic movement in Triticum aestivum post-dsRNA spray”

Short title: changed from “Laccase dsRNA for improved grain aphid resistance” to “Laccase silencing for improved grain aphid resistance”.

2. What is the efficiency of RT-PCR and qRT-PCR primers? are these validated? If yes, data should be included.

Answer: Primer validation data is included now in the paper (Supp File 2).

3. Line numbers 187-204 need to be merged and re-written.

Answer: Line Numbers 202-217 are merged and rewritten.

4. Line numbers: 150-157, and 234-242 seem to be the same.

Answer: 160-172 are retained and Line number 232-242 are reduced to two lines (246-247).

5. All subtitles are inappropriate and follow the first letter as upper and the rest as lowercase.

Answer: Changed throughout & highlighted.

6. Fig.4, 5, and 6D, are looks bad quality and edited; submit original gel images.

Answer: Original Gel images are added.

7. Author tested six different concentrations of Acetosyringone and how the transformation efficiency calculated data should submit either in a table or graph.

Answer: The graph is included in the paper with acetosyringone affecting the transformation efficiency in Fig 6A. It is with the hygromycin selection the acetosyringone concentration is calculated. Transformation efficiency shown in the graph is based on selection.

Attachments
Attachment
Submitted filename: Response to Reviewers.docx
Decision Letter - Basavantraya N. Devanna, Editor

Production of Sitobion avenae-resistant Triticum aestivum cvs using laccase as RNAi target and its systemic movement in wheat post dsRNA spray

PONE-D-23-00481R1

Dear Dr. Afroz,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

An invoice for payment will follow shortly after the formal acceptance. To ensure an efficient process, please log into Editorial Manager at http://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/, click the 'Update My Information' link at the top of the page, and double check that your user information is up-to-date. If you have any billing related questions, please contact our Author Billing department directly at authorbilling@plos.org.

If your institution or institutions have a press office, please notify them about your upcoming paper to help maximize its impact. If they’ll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team as soon as possible -- no later than 48 hours after receiving the formal acceptance. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact onepress@plos.org.

Kind regards,

Basavantraya N. Devanna, PhD

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

The revised article "Production of Sitobion avenae-resistant Triticum aestivum cvs using laccase as RNAi target and its systemic movement in wheat post dsRNA spray" is much better than the original submission. Both quality and content of the MS is improved.

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.

Reviewer #2: All comments have been addressed

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2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

6. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

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7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #2: Yes: Yugander Arra

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Formally Accepted
Acceptance Letter - Basavantraya N. Devanna, Editor

PONE-D-23-00481R1

Production of Sitobion avenae-resistant Triticum aestivum cvs using laccase as RNAi target and its systemic movement in wheat post dsRNA spray

Dear Dr. Afroz:

I'm pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been deemed suitable for publication in PLOS ONE. Congratulations! Your manuscript is now with our production department.

If your institution or institutions have a press office, please let them know about your upcoming paper now to help maximize its impact. If they'll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team within the next 48 hours. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information please contact onepress@plos.org.

If we can help with anything else, please email us at plosone@plos.org.

Thank you for submitting your work to PLOS ONE and supporting open access.

Kind regards,

PLOS ONE Editorial Office Staff

on behalf of

Dr. Basavantraya N. Devanna

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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