Abstract
Understanding the fundamental nature of a molecular process or a biological pathway is often a catalyst for the development of new technologies in biology. Indeed, studies from late 1990s to early 2000s have uncovered multiple overlapping but functionally distinct RNA silencing pathways in plants, including the posttranscriptional microRNA and small interfering RNA pathways and the transcriptional RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway. These findings have in turn been exploited for developing artificial RNA silencing technologies such as hairpin RNA, artificial microRNA, intrinsic direct repeat, 3’ UTR inverted repeat, artificial trans-acting siRNA, and virus-induced gene silencing technologies. Some of these RNA silencing technologies, such as the hairpin RNA technology, have already been widely used for genetic improvement of crop plants in agriculture. For horticultural plants, RNA silencing technologies have been used to increase disease and pest resistance, alter plant architecture and flowering time, improve commercial traits of fruits and flowers, enhance nutritional values, remove toxic compounds and allergens, and develop high-value industrial products. In this article we aim to provide an overview of the RNA silencing pathways in plants, summarize the existing RNA silencing technologies, and review the current progress in applying these technologies for the improvement of agricultural crops particularly horticultural crops.
Keywords: Double-stranded RNA, Hairpin RNA, miRNA, Plants, RNA silencing, siRNA, Virus.
Graphical Abstract
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Current Genomics in Cardiovascular Research
Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in the world, in recent years we have had important advances in the interaction between cardiovascular disease and genomics. In this Research Topic, we intend for researchers to present their results with a focus on basic, translational and clinical investigations associated with ...read more
Deep learning in Single Cell Analysis
The field of biology is undergoing a revolution in our ability to study individual cells at the molecular level, and to integrate data from multiple sources and modalities. This has been made possible by advances in technologies for single-cell sequencing, multi-omics profiling, spatial transcriptomics, and high-throughput imaging, as well as ...read more
New insights on Pediatric Tumors and Associated Cancer Predisposition Syndromes
Because of the broad spectrum of children cancer susceptibility, the diagnosis of cancer risk syndromes in children is rarely used in direct cancer treatment. The field of pediatric cancer genetics and genomics will only continue to expand as a result of increasing use of genetic testing tools. It's possible that ...read more
Related Journals
Related Books
Industrial Applications of Soil Microbes
Industrial Applications of Soil Microbes
Algal Biotechnology for Fuel Applications
Omics Technologies for Clinical Diagnosis and Gene Therapy: Medical Applications in Human Genetics
Biopolymers Towards Green and Sustainable Development
Environmental Microbiology: Advanced Research and Multidisciplinary Applications
Biomarkers in Medicine
Industrial Applications of Soil Microbes
Sustainable Utilization of Fungi in Agriculture and Industry
Myconanotechnology: Green Chemistry for Sustainable Development
70
6
2
1