Applications of RNA interference for plant disease resistance

Research to alter crops for their better performance involving modern technology is underway in numerous plants, and achievements in transgenic plants are impacting crop improvements in unparalleledways. Striking progress has been made using genetic engineering technology over the past two decades in manipulating genes fromdiverse and exotic sources, and inserting them into crop plants for inducing desirable characteristics. Gene silencing, often referred to asRNA silencing or RNA interference, is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that protects the host genome against invasive nucleic acids,such as viruses, transposons, and transgenes. The RNAi gene silencing techniques are utilized for induction of resistance to Helicoverpaarmigera in tobacco, crown gall disease in tomato and Arabidopsis, cassava mosaic virus in cassava, improving carotenoid and flavonoidcontent in tomato and for attractive flower colour in rose. RNA silencing is an area of intense studies leading to exciting new discoveries in plant improvement programmes.

Keywords:

Disease resistance , Plant , RNA silencing