Calgene Campus, Monsanto Company, 1920 Fifth Street, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Plant Biotechnol J. 2010 Aug;8(6):655-77. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7652.2010.00505.x. Epub 2010 Mar 16.
Plants have evolved a variety of gene silencing pathways mediated by small RNAs. Mostly 21 or 24 nt in size, these small RNAs repress the expression of sequence homologous genes at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional and translational levels. These pathways, also referred as RNA silencing pathways, play important roles in regulating growth and development as well as in response to both biotic and abiotic stress. Although the molecular basis of these complicated and interconnected pathways has become clear only in recent years, RNA silencing effects were observed and utilized in transgenic plants early in the plant biotechnology era, more than two decades ago. Today, with a better understanding of the pathways, various genetic engineering approaches have been developed to apply RNA silencing more effectively and broadly. In addition to summarizing the current models of RNA silencing, this review discusses examples of its potential uses and related issues concerning its application in plant biotechnology.
植物已经进化出多种由小 RNA 介导的基因沉默途径。这些小 RNA 大小大多为 21 或 24 个核苷酸，它们在转录、转录后和翻译水平上抑制同源基因的表达。这些途径也称为 RNA 沉默途径，在调节生长和发育以及应对生物和非生物胁迫方面发挥着重要作用。尽管这些复杂且相互关联的途径的分子基础仅在近年来才变得清晰，但早在二十多年前的植物生物技术时代，就已经观察到并利用了转基因植物中的 RNA 沉默效应。如今，随着对这些途径的理解的加深，已经开发出了各种遗传工程方法，以更有效地和广泛地应用 RNA 沉默。除了总结 RNA 沉默的当前模型外，本文还讨论了其潜在用途的实例以及与在植物生物技术中应用相关的问题。
