scholarly journals Identification and Characterization of Plant Genes Involved in Agrobacterium-Mediated Plant Transformation by Virus-Induced Gene Silencing

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajith Anand ◽  
Zarir Vaghchhipawala ◽  
Choong-Min Ryu ◽  
Li Kang ◽  
Keri Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Transformation ◽  
Gene Silencing ◽  
Crown Gall ◽  
Plant Transformation ◽  
Plant Cells ◽  
Forward Genetics ◽  
Virus Induced Gene Silencing ◽  
In Planta ◽  
Plant Genes

Genetic transformation of plant cells by Agrobacterium tu-mefaciens represents a unique case of trans-kingdom sex requiring the involvement of both bacterial virulence proteins and plant-encoded proteins. We have developed in planta and leaf-disk assays in Nicotiana benthamiana for identifying plant genes involved in Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) as a genomics tool. VIGS was used to validate the role of several genes that are either known or speculated to be involved in Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation. We showed the involvement of a nodulin-like protein and an alpha-expansin protein (α-Exp) during Agrobacterium infection. Our data suggest that α-Exp is involved during early events of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation but not required for attaching A. tumefaciens. By employing the combination of the VIGS-mediated forward genetics approach and an in planta tumorigenesis assay, we identified 21 ACG (altered crown gall) genes that, when silenced, produced altered crown gall phenotypes upon infection with a tumorigenic strain of A. tumefaciens. One of the plant genes identified from the screening, Histone H3 (H3), was further characterized for its biological role in Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation. We provide evidence for the role of H3 in transfer DNA integration. The data presented here suggest that the VIGS-based approach to identify and characterize plant genes involved in genetic transformation of plant cells by A. tumefaciens is simple, rapid, and robust and complements other currently used approaches.

scholarly journals Viroids as a Tool to Study RNA-Directed DNA Methylation in Plants

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1187
Author(s):  
Michael Wassenegger ◽  
Athanasios Dalakouras
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Rna Interference ◽  
Gene Silencing ◽  
Plant Cells ◽  
Transcriptional Gene Silencing ◽  
Rnai Machinery ◽  
Double Stranded Rna ◽  
Post Transcriptional Gene Silencing ◽  
Cumulative Amount

Viroids are plant pathogenic, circular, non-coding, single-stranded RNAs (ssRNAs). Members of the Pospiviroidae family replicate in the nucleus of plant cells through double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) intermediates, thus triggering the host’s RNA interference (RNAi) machinery. In plants, the two RNAi pillars are Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing (PTGS) and RNA-directed DNA Methylation (RdDM), and the latter has the potential to trigger Transcriptional Gene Silencing (TGS). Over the last three decades, the employment of viroid-based systems has immensely contributed to our understanding of both of these RNAi facets. In this review, we highlight the role of Pospiviroidae in the discovery of RdDM, expound the gradual elucidation through the years of the diverse array of RdDM’s mechanistic details and propose a revised RdDM model based on the cumulative amount of evidence from viroid and non-viroid systems.

scholarly journals Simultaneous silencing of two different Arabidopsis genes with a novel virus-induced gene silencing vector

Plant Methods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunxin Wu ◽  
Yadan Wu ◽  
Chunwei Zhang ◽  
Yan Fu ◽  
Zhixin Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Silencing ◽  
Double Mutant ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Protein Product ◽  
Antiviral Defense ◽  
Virus Induced Gene Silencing ◽  
Argonaute 2 ◽  
Plant Genes ◽  
Silencing Pathways

Abstract Background Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a useful tool for functional characterizations of plant genes. However, the penetrance of VIGS varies depending on the genes to be silenced, and has to be evaluated by examining the transcript levels of target genes. Results In this report, we report the development of a novel VIGS vector that permits a preliminary assessment of the silencing penetrance. This new vector is based on an attenuated variant of Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) known as CPB that can be readily used in Arabidopsis thaliana to interrogate genes of this model plant. A CPB derivative, designated CPB1B, was produced by inserting a 46 nucleotide section of the Arabidopsis PHYTOENE DESATURASE (PDS) gene into CPB, in antisense orientation. CPB1B induced robust PDS silencing, causing easily visible photobleaching in systemically infected Arabidopsis leaves. More importantly, CPB1B can accommodate additional inserts, derived from other Arabidopsis genes, causing the silencing of two or more genes simultaneously. With photobleaching as a visual marker, we adopted the CPB1B vector to validate the involvement of DICER-LIKE 4 (DCL4) in antiviral defense against TCV. We further revealed the involvement of ARGONAUTE 2 (AGO2) in PDS silencing and antiviral defense against TCV in dcl2drb4 double mutant plants. These results demonstrated that DOUBLE-STRANDED RNA-BINDING PROTEIN 4 (DRB4), whose protein product (DRB4) commonly partners with DCL4 in the antiviral silencing pathway, was dispensable for PDS silencing induced by CPB1B derivative in dcl2drb4 double mutant plants. Conclusions The CPB1B-based vector developed in this work is a valuable tool with visualizable indicator of the silencing penetrance for interrogating Arabidopsis genes, especially those involved in the RNA silencing pathways.

scholarly journals A cucumber green mottle mosaic virus vector for virus-induced gene silencing in cucurbit plants

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Liu ◽  
Zhiling Liang ◽  
Miguel A. Aranda ◽  
Ni Hong ◽  
Liming Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Transformation ◽  
Gene Silencing ◽  
Mosaic Virus ◽  
Gene Function ◽  
Nicotiana Benthamiana ◽  
Phytoene Desaturase ◽  
Virus Induced Gene Silencing ◽  
Economic Significance ◽  
Potential Alternative ◽  
Low Efficiency

AbstractCucurbits produce fruits or vegetables that have great dietary importance and economic significance worldwide. The published genomes of at least 11 cucurbit species are boosting gene mining and novel breeding strategies, however genetic transformation in cucurbits is impractical as a tool for gene function validation due to low transformation efficiencies. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a potential alternative tool. So far, very few ideal VIGS vectors are available for cucurbits. Here, we describe a new VIGS vector derived from cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), a monopartite virus that infects cucurbits naturally. We show that the CGMMV vector is competent to induce efficient silencing of the phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene in the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana and in cucurbits, including watermelon, melon, cucumber and bottle gourd. Infection with the CGMMV vector harboring PDS sequences of 69-300 bp in length in the form of sense-oriented or hairpin cDNAs resulted in photobleaching phenotypes in N. benthamiana and cucurbits by PDS silencing. Additional results reflect that silencing of the PDS gene could persist for over two months and the silencing effect of CGMMV-based vectors could be passaged. These results demonstrate that CGMMV vector could serve as a powerful and easy-to-use tool for characterizing gene function in cucurbits.One sentence summaryA CGMMV-based vector enables gene function studies in cucurbits, an extremely low efficiency species for genetic transformation.

scholarly journals Simultaneous Silencing of Two Different Arabidopsis Genes With A Novel Virus-Induced Gene Silencing Vector

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiuchun Zhang ◽  
Yadan Wu ◽  
Chunwei Zhang ◽  
Kunxin Wu ◽  
Zhixin Liu
Keyword(s):  
Gene Silencing ◽  
Rna Silencing ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Protein Product ◽  
Turnip Crinkle Virus ◽  
Virus Induced Gene Silencing ◽  
Argonaute 2 ◽  
Plant Genes ◽  
Silencing Pathways

Abstract Background: Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a useful tool for functional characterizations of plant genes. However, the penetrance of VIGS varies depending on the genes to be silenced, and has to be evaluated by examining the transcript levels of target genes. Results: In this report, we report the development of a novel VIGS vector that permits a preliminary assessment of the silencing penetrance. This new vector is based on an attenuated variant of Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) known as CPB that can be readily used in Arabidopsis thaliana to interrogate genes of this model plant. A CPB derivative, designated CPB1B, was produced by inserting a 46 nucleotide section of the Arabidopsis PHYTOENE DESATURASE (PDS) gene into CPB, in antisense orientation. CPB1B induced robust PDS silencing, causing easily visible photobleaching in systemically infected Arabidopsis leaves. More importantly, CPB1B can accommodate additional inserts, derived from other Arabidopsis genes, causing the silencing of two or more genes simultaneously. With photobleaching as a visual marker, we adopted the CPB1B vector to evaluate the relative importance of several known RNA silencing pathway genes in PDS VIGS. This approach allowed us to validate the involvement of DICER-LIKE 4 (DCL4) and ARGONAUTE 2 (AGO2) in PDS silencing. Notably, double-stranded RNA-binding protein 4 (DRB4), whose protein product (DRB4) commonly partners with DCL4 in the antiviral silencing pathway, was dispensable for PDS silencing induced by CPB1B. Conclusions: The CPB1B-based vector developed in this work is a valuable tool with tracable and visualizable indicator of the silencing penetrance for interrogating Arabidopsis genes, especially those involved in the RNA silencing pathways.

scholarly journals RNA Interference: A Versatile Tool for Functional Genomics and Unraveling the Genes Required for Viral Disease Resistance in Plants

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tushar Ranjan ◽  
Namaste Kumari ◽  
Sangita Sahni ◽  
Bishun Deo Prasad
Keyword(s):  
Disease Resistance ◽  
Gene Silencing ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Reverse Genetics ◽  
Viral Disease ◽  
Virus Induced Gene Silencing ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Natural Defense ◽  
Versatile Tool ◽  
Plant Genes

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a powerful reverse genetics technology used to unravel the functions of genes. It uses viruses as vectors to carry targeted plant genes. The virus vector is used to induce RNA-mediated silencing of a gene or genes in the host plant. The process of silencing is triggered by dsRNA molecules, the mechanism is explained in this chapter. Over the years a large number of viruses have been modified for use as VIGS vectors and a list of these vectors is also included. As the name suggests, virus-induced gene silencing uses the host plant’s natural defense mechanisms against viral infection to silence plant genes. VIGS is methodologically simple and is widely used to determine gene functions, including disease resistance, abiotic stress, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and signal transduction pathways. Here, we made an attempt to describe the basic underlying molecular mechanism of VIGS, the methodology and various experimental requirements, as well as its advantages and disadvantages. Finally, we discuss the future prospects of VIGS in relation to CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Besides using it to overexpress or silence genes, VIGS has emerged as the preferred delivery system for the cutting edge CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology.

scholarly journals California TRV-based VIGS vectors mediate gene silencing at elevated temperatures but with greater growth stunting

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamilur Rahman ◽  
Ian T. Baldwin ◽  
Klaus Gase
Keyword(s):  
Gene Silencing ◽  
Host Plant ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Tobacco Rattle Virus ◽  
Vector System ◽  
Nicotiana Attenuata ◽  
Cdna Clones ◽  
Virus Induced Gene Silencing ◽  
In Planta

Abstract Background Tobacco rattle virus (TRV) based virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), a widely used functional genomics tool, requires growth temperatures typically lower than those of the plant’s native environment. Enabling VIGS under native conditions in the field according to applicable safety regulations could be a revolutionary advance for ecological research. Results Here, we report the development of an enhanced thermal tolerant VIGS vector system based on a TRV California isolate. cDNA clones representing the whole viral genome were sequenced and used to construct separate binary plant transformation vectors for functional elements of RNA1 (6765 nt) and RNA2 (3682 nt). VIGS of target genes was induced by transient transformation of the host plant with both vectors or by treating the host plant with sap from already VIGS induced plants. In Nicotiana attenuata the silencing efficiency of the PDS (phytoene desaturase) gene was 90% at 28 °C and 78% at 30 °C. Silencing at these temperatures was more prominent and durable than silencing induced by the widely used TRV PpK20-based pBINTRA6/pTV00 system, but was associated with a viral phenotype. Differences in the suppressor protein and RNA dependent RNA polymerase sequences between the TRV California isolate and PpK20 may be the reason for their different thermal tolerance. Conclusions The new TRV California-based VIGS vectors induce gene silencing in Nicotiana attenuata at higher temperatures than the existing pBINTRA6/pTV00 vector system, but cause greater growth defects. The new vector system opens up an avenue to study genes functions in planta under field conditions.

scholarly journals Plant viral vectors: Expanding the Possibilities of Precise Gene Editing in Plant Genomes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuti Kujur ◽  
Muthappa Senthil-Kumar ◽  
Rahul Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Plant Transformation ◽  
Viral Vectors ◽  
Gene Editing ◽  
Genome Engineering ◽  
Plant Cells ◽  
In Planta ◽  
Plant Genomes ◽  
Efficient Gene ◽  
Transformation Methods

Abstract The lack of a highly efficient method for delivering reagents for genome engineering to plant cells remains a bottleneck in achieving efficient gene-editing in plant genomes. A suite of recent reports uncovers the newly emerged roles of viral vectors, which can introduce gene-edits in plants with high mutation frequencies through in planta delivery. Here, we focus on the emerging protocols that utilized different approaches for virus-mediated genome editing in model plants. Testing of these protocols and the newly identified hypercompact Casɸ systems is needed to broaden the scope of genome-editing in most plant species, including crops, with minimized reliance on conventional plant transformation methods in the future.

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