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Down-Regulation of Gene Expression by RNA-Induced Gene Silencing

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Transgenic Wheat, Barley and Oats

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology™ ((MIMB,volume 478))

Abstract

Down-regulation of endogenous genes via post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) is a key to the characterization of gene function in plants. Many RNA-based silencing mechanisms such as post-transcriptional gene silencing, co-suppression, quelling, and RNA interference (RNAi) have been discovered among species of different kingdoms (plants, fungi, and animals). One of the most interesting discoveries was RNAi, a sequence-specific gene-silencing mechanism initiated by the introduction of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), homologous in sequence to the silenced gene, which triggers degradation of mRNA. Infection of plants with modified viruses can also induce RNA silencing and is referred to as virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). In contrast to insertional mutagenesis, these emerging new reverse genetic approaches represent a powerful tool for exploring gene function and for manipulating gene expression experimentally in cereal species such as barley and wheat. We examined how RNAi and VIGS have been used to assess gene function in barley and wheat, including molecular mechanisms involved in the process and available methodological elements, such as vectors, inoculation procedures, and analysis of silenced phenotypes.

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  1. Institute of Plant Biology, University of Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008 Zürich, Switzerland

    Silvia Travella* & Beat Keller

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  1. Silvia Travella*
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  2. Beat Keller
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    © 2009 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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    Travella*, S., Keller, B. (2009). Down-Regulation of Gene Expression by RNA-Induced Gene Silencing. In: Jones, H., Shewry, P. (eds) Transgenic Wheat, Barley and Oats. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 478. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-379-0_12

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-379-0_12

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