Kaur Ranjeet, Choudhury Aparajita, Chauhan Sambhavana, Ghosh Arundhati, Tiwari Ruby, Rajam Manchikatla Venkat
Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi, 110021 India.
Physiol Mol Biol Plants. 2021 Oct;27(10):2357-2377. doi: 10.1007/s12298-021-01064-5. Epub 2021 Sep 22.
RNA interference (RNAi) is a universal phenomenon of RNA silencing or gene silencing with broader implications in important physiological and developmental processes of most eukaryotes, including plants. Small RNA (sRNA) are the critical drivers of the RNAi machinery that ensures down-regulation of the target genes in a homology-dependent manner and includes small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and micro RNAs (miRNAs). Plant researchers across the globe have exploited the powerful technique of RNAi to execute targeted suppression of desired genes in important crop plants, with an intent to improve crop protection against pathogens and pests for sustainable crop production. Biotic stresses cause severe losses to the agricultural productivity leading to food insecurity for future generations. RNAi has majorly contributed towards the development of designer crops that are resilient towards the various biotic stresses such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, insect pests, and nematodes. This review summarizes the recent progress made in the RNAi-mediated strategies against these biotic stresses, along with new insights on the future directions in research involving RNAi for crop protection.
RNA干扰（RNAi）是一种普遍存在的RNA沉默或基因沉默现象，在包括植物在内的大多数真核生物的重要生理和发育过程中具有更广泛的影响。小RNA（sRNA）是RNAi机制的关键驱动因素，可确保以同源依赖性方式下调靶基因，包括小干扰RNA（siRNA）和微小RNA（miRNA）。全球的植物研究人员利用强大的RNAi技术在重要农作物中对所需基因进行靶向抑制，旨在提高作物对病原体和害虫的抵抗力，以实现可持续作物生产。生物胁迫会给农业生产力造成严重损失，导致子孙后代面临粮食不安全问题。RNAi在很大程度上推动了设计作物的开发，这些作物对病毒、细菌、真菌、害虫和线虫等各种生物胁迫具有抗性。本综述总结了RNAi介导的抗这些生物胁迫策略的最新进展，以及对涉及RNAi作物保护研究未来方向的新见解。
