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Local gene silencing in plants via synthetic dsRNA and carrier peptide |
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| Authors: | Keiji Numata Misato Ohtani Takeshi Yoshizumi Taku Demura Yutaka Kodama |
| Affiliation: | 1. Enzyme Research Team, Biomass Engineering Program Cooperative Division, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, , Wako‐shi, Saitama, Japan;2. Cellulose Production Research Team, Biomass Engineering Program Cooperative Division, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, , Tsurumi‐ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, Japan;3. Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, , Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan;4. Center for Bioscience Research and Education, Utsunomiya University, , Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Japan |
| Abstract: | Quick and facile transient RNA interference (RNAi) is one of the most valuable plant biotechnologies for analysing plant gene functions. To establish a novel double‐strand RNA (dsRNA) delivery system for plants, we developed an ionic complex of synthetic dsRNA with a carrier peptide in which a cell‐penetrating peptide is fused with a polycation sequence as a gene carrier. The dsRNA–peptide complex is 100–300 nm in diameter and positively charged. Infiltration of the complex into intact leaf cells of Arabidopsis thaliana successfully induced rapid and efficient down‐regulation of exogenous and endogenous genes such as yellow fluorescent protein and chalcone synthase. The present method realizes quick and local gene silencing in specific tissues and/or organs in plants. |
| Keywords: | dsRNA local RNAi gene delivery intact plant fusion peptide gene carrier |