How RNAi is used in producing nematode-resistant tobacco plants?
How RNAi is used in producing nematode-resistant tobacco plants?
A nematode Meloidogyne incognita infects the roots of tobacco plants which reduces the production of tobacco. The infection can be prevented using the RNA interference (RNAi) process which is checked by silencing of specific mRNA due to a complementary ds RNA. The ds RNA binds and prevents translation of the mRNA. By using Agrobacterium vectors, nematode-specific genes were introduced into the host plants which produce both sense and antisense RNA in the host cells. These two RNAs are complementary to each other and form a double-stranded RNA (ds RNA) that initiates RNAi and hence, silences the specific mRNA of the nematode. The parasite cannot survive in a transgenic host and so, prevents the plants from pests.
A nematode Meloidogyne incognita infects the roots of tobacco plants which reduces the production of tobacco. The infection can be prevented using the RNA interference (RNAi) process which is checked by silencing of specific mRNA due to a complementary ds RNA. The ds RNA binds and prevents translation of the mRNA. By using Agrobacterium vectors, nematode-specific genes were introduced into the host plants which produce both sense and antisense RNA in the host cells. These two RNAs are complementary to each other and form a double-stranded RNA (ds RNA) that initiates RNAi and hence, silences the specific mRNA of the nematode. The parasite cannot survive in a transgenic host and so, prevents the plants from pests.
