RNAi-based gene silencing in plant-parasitic nematodes: A road toward crop improvements

초록

RNA interference (RNAi) is a novel gene-silencing tool for understanding the relationship between plants and parasites. The discovery of RNAi in Caenorhabditis elegans has made significant milestones in the past two decades, especially in nematode research. Genes expressed in a wide range of cells are silenced when plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) take up double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that elicit a systemic RNAi response. Still a little is known about the detailed mechanism and concept behind the RNAi-induced gene silencing in parasitic nematodes. Prospects for novel resistance depend on the plant generating a functional form of small interfering RNA or micro RNA in the absence of an endogenous target gene. Highly enriched genomic libraries have been exploited to deliver dsRNAs in the feeding site of nematodes to silence the target gene in vivo. Biotechnological advances, such as gene editing and tissue-specific promoters, can further raise the utility of RNAi-based strategies against nematodes. © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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