Zhao Jian-Hua, Guo Hui-Shan
State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Microbiology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
J Integr Plant Biol. 2022 Feb;64(2):476-498. doi: 10.1111/jipb.13213. Epub 2022 Feb 8.
RNA silencing (or RNA interference, RNAi) is a conserved mechanism for regulating gene expression in eukaryotes. The discovery of natural trans-kingdom RNAi indicated that small RNAs act as signaling molecules and enable communication between organisms in different kingdoms. The phenomenon and potential mechanisms of trans-kingdom RNAi are among the most exciting research topics. To better understand trans-kingdom RNAi, we review the history of the discovery and elucidation of RNAi mechanisms. Based on canonical RNAi mechanisms, we summarize the major points of divergence around RNAi pathways in the main eukaryotes' kingdoms, including plants, animals, and fungi. We review the representative incidents associated with the mechanisms and applications of trans-kingdom RNAi in crop protection, and discuss the critical factors that should be considered to develop successful trans-kingdom RNAi-based crop protection strategies.
RNA沉默（或RNA干扰，RNAi）是真核生物中一种保守的基因表达调控机制。天然跨界RNAi的发现表明，小RNA作为信号分子，能够在不同界的生物体之间实现交流。跨界RNAi的现象和潜在机制是最令人兴奋的研究课题之一。为了更好地理解跨界RNAi，我们回顾了RNAi机制的发现和阐明历史。基于经典的RNAi机制，我们总结了主要真核生物界（包括植物、动物和真菌）中RNAi途径的主要分歧点。我们回顾了与跨界RNAi在作物保护中的机制和应用相关的代表性事件，并讨论了制定成功的基于跨界RNAi的作物保护策略时应考虑的关键因素。
