Tobacco rattle virus vector: A rapid and transient means of silencing manduca sexta genes by plant mediated RNA interference.

ABSTRACT:

Background

RNAi can be achieved in insect herbivores by feeding them host plants stably transformed to express double stranded RNA (dsRNA) of selected midgut-expressed genes. However, the development of stably transformed plants is a slow and laborious process and here we developed a rapid, reliable and transient method. We used viral vectors to produce dsRNA in the host plant Nicotiana attenuata to transiently silence midgut genes of the plant's lepidopteran specialist herbivore, Manduca sexta. To compare the efficacy of longer, undiced dsRNA for insect gene silencing, we silenced N. attenuata's dicer genes (NaDCL1- 4) in all combinations in a plant stably transformed to express dsRNA targeting an insect gene.

Methodology/principal findings

Stable transgenic N. attenuata pl

SUBMITTER: Kumar P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3270032 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature