What is gene silencing in plants?

VIGS can be defined as the silencing of endogenous plant genes initiated by recombinant viral vectors (Ruiz et al., 1998). The approach consists of cloning and inserting plant endogenous gene sequences in recombinant viral vectors, which are then inoculated in plants, triggering PTGS / RNAi.

What do you mean by gene silencing?

Gene silencing: A mechanism by which cells shut down large sections of chromosomal DNA. Gene silencing is done by incorporating the DNA to be silenced into a form of DNA called heterochromatin that is already silent. The process of gene silencing is important for the differentiation of many different types of cells.

Is gene silencing permanent?

The important distinction between gene therapy / genome editing and gene silencing treatments are that the former, by acting to correct the underlying genetic defect, are a form of semi-permanent or (ideally) permanent cure, whereas gene silencing is a lifelong treatment for a disease.

Why is siRNA associated with gene silencing?

The endonuclease argonaute 2 (AGO2) component of the RISC cleaves the passenger strand (sense strand) of the siRNA while the guide strand (antisense strand) remains associated with the RISC. As the guide strand only binds to mRNA that is fully complementary to it, siRNA causes specific gene silencing.

What is post transcriptional gene silencing in plants?

Post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) in plants is an RNA-degradation mechanism that shows similarities to RNA interference (RNAi) in animals.

What is the mechanism by which siRNA causes gene silencing?

The mechanism by which siRNA causes gene silencing through repression of transcription occurs as follows: Long dsRNA (which can come from hairpin, complementary RNAs, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerases) is cleaved by an endo-ribonuclease called Dicer.

How does DNA nanostructures coordinate gene silencing in mature plants?

DNA nanostructures coordinate gene silencing in mature plants Delivery of biomolecules to plants relies on Agrobacterium infection or biolistic particle delivery, the former of which is amenable only to DNA delivery.

How is the expression of genes regulated by epigenetic silencing?

Epigenetic silencing is a natural phenomenon in which the expression of genes is regulated through modifications of DNA, RNA, or histone proteins.