Strategies for Efficient RNAi-Based Gene Silencing of Viral Genes for Disease Resistance in Plants.

RNA interference (RNAi) is an evolutionarily conserved gene silencing mechanism in eukaryotes including fungi, plants, and animals. In plants, gene silencing regulates gene expression, provides genome stability, and protect against invading viruses. During plant virus interaction, viral genome derived siRNAs (vsiRNA) are produced to mediate gene silencing of viral genes to prevent virus multiplication. After the discovery of RNAi phenomenon in eukaryotes, it is used as a powerful tool to engineer plant viral disease resistance against both RNA and DNA viruses. Despite several successful reports on employing RNA silencing methods to engineer plant for viral disease resistance, only a few of them have reached the commercial stage owing to lack of complete protection against the intended virus. Based on the knowledge accumulated over the years on genetic engineering for viral disease resistance, there is scope for effective viral disease control through careful design of RNAi gene construct. The selection of target viral gene(s) for developing the hairpin RNAi (hp-RNAi) construct is very critical for effective protection against the viral disease. Different approaches and bioinformatics tools which can be employed for effective target selection are discussed. The selection of suitable target regions for RNAi vector construction can help to achieve a high level of transgenic virus resistance.

Plant regeneration, developmental pattern and genetic fidelity of somatic embryogenesis derived Musa spp.

Multiplication of banana cvs. Grand Naine (Musa AAA, Cavendish-sub group) and Rasthali (Musa AAB, Silk-sub group) were attempted through somatic embryogenesis. The influence of position of male flower buds, amino acid supplements in the induction of somatic embryogenesis and field performance of embryogenic cell suspension (ECS) derived banana plants were studied. Differentiated immature male flower buds positioned at 6-8 th bract whorl as explants showed better callus induction and somatic embryogenesis. Supplementation with glutamine at 400 mg L-1 along with 20:20 g L-1sucrose: maltose in maturation media induced a 10-fold increase in somatic embryo formation compared to control. Cotyledonary stage somatic embryos desiccated for 2 h showed higher germination compared to non-desiccated embryos. The plantlets generated were hardened, and the genetic fidelity of the plantlets was confirmed using ISSR marker. To check the field performance of ECS derived plants, plantlets were hardened and planted in the field along with meristem and sucker. During the field growth, these ECS derived plants were morphologically similar to those of control plants. In this experiment, it was observed that ECS derived banana plants displayed normal phenotype as that of plants grown from meristem and sucker. The protocol developed could be useful highly for large-scale micropropagation or genetic manipulation studies in these commercially important banana cultivars.

Transgenic rice grains expressing a heterologous ρ-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase shift tocopherol synthesis from the γ to the α isoform without increasing absolute tocopherol levels.

We generated transgenic rice plants overexpressing Arabidopsis thaliana ρ-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD), which catalyzes the first committed step in vitamin E biosynthesis. Transgenic grains accumulated marginally higher levels of total tocochromanols than controls, reflecting a small increase in absolute tocotrienol synthesis (but no change in the relative abundance of the α and γ isoforms). In contrast, there was no change in the absolute tocopherol level, but a significant shift from the γ to the α isoform. These data confirm HPPD is not rate limiting, and that increasing flux through the early pathway reveals downstream bottlenecks that act as metabolic tipping points.

Constitutive expression of a barley Fe phytosiderophore transporter increases alkaline soil tolerance and results in iron partitioning between vegetative and storage tissues under stress.

Cereals have evolved chelation systems to mobilize insoluble iron in the soil, but in rice this process is rather inefficient, making the crop highly susceptible to alkaline soils. We therefore engineered rice to express the barley iron-phytosiderophore transporter (HvYS1), which enables barley plants to take up iron from alkaline soils. A representative transgenic rice line was grown in standard (pH 5.5) or alkaline soil (pH 8.5) to evaluate alkaline tolerance and iron mobilization. Transgenic plants developed secondary tillers and set seeds when grown in standard soil although iron concentration remained similar in leaves and seeds compared to wild type. However, when grown in alkaline soil transgenic plants exhibited enhanced growth, yield and iron concentration in leaves compared to the wild type plants which were severely stunted. Transgenic plants took up iron more efficiently from alkaline soil compared to wild type, indicating an enhanced capacity to increase iron mobility ex situ. Interestingly, all the additional iron accumulated in vegetative tissues, i.e. there was no difference in iron concentration in the seeds of wild type and transgenic plants. Our data suggest that iron uptake from the rhizosphere can be enhanced through expression of HvYS1 and confirm the operation of a partitioning mechanism that diverts iron to leaves rather than seeds, under stress.

Critical evaluation of strategies for mineral fortification of staple food crops.

Staple food crops, in particular cereal grains, are poor sources of key mineral nutrients. As a result, the world's poorest people, generally those subsisting on a monotonous cereal diet, are also those most vulnerable to mineral deficiency diseases. Various strategies have been proposed to deal with micronutrient deficiencies including the provision of mineral supplements, the fortification of processed food, the biofortification of crop plants at source with mineral-rich fertilizers and the implementation of breeding programs and genetic engineering approaches to generate mineral-rich varieties of staple crops. This review provides a critical comparison of the strategies that have been developed to address deficiencies in five key mineral nutrients-iodine, iron, zinc, calcium and selenium-and discusses the most recent advances in genetic engineering to increase mineral levels and bioavailability in our most important staple food crops.

Beta-glucuronidase of family-2 glycosyl hydrolase: a missing member in plants.

Glycosyl hydrolases hydrolyze the glycosidic bond in carbohydrates or between a carbohydrate and a non-carbohydrate moiety. beta-glucuronidase (GUS) is classified under two glycosyl hydrolase families (2 and 79) and the family-2 beta-glucuronidase is reported in a wide range of organisms, but not in plants. The family-79 endo-beta-glucuronidase (heparanase) is reported in microorganisms, vertebrates and plants. The E. coli family-2 beta-glucuronidase (uidA) had been successfully devised as a reporter gene in plant transformation on the basis that plants do not have homologous GUS activity. On the contrary, histochemical staining with X-Gluc was reported in wild type (non-transgenic) plants. Data shows that, family-2 beta-glucuronidase homologous sequence is not found in plants. Further, beta-glucuronidases of family-2 and 79 lack appreciable sequence similarity. However, the catalytic site residues, glutamic acid and tyrosine of the family-2 beta-glucuronidase are found to be conserved in family-79 beta-glucuronidase of plants. This led to propose that the GUS staining reported in wild type plants is largely because of the broad substrate specificity of family-79 beta-glucuronidase on X-Gluc and not due to the family-2 beta-glucuronidase, as the latter has been found to be missing in plants.

Deletion of the C-terminal 138 amino acids of the wheat FKBP73 abrogates calmodulin binding, dimerization and male fertility in transgenic rice.

Wheat FKBP73 (wFKBP73) belongs to the FK506-binding protein (FKBP) family which, in common with the cyclophilin and parvulin families, possesses peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) activity. Wheat FKBP73 has been shown to contain three FKBP12-like domains, a tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) via which it binds heat shock protein 90 and a calmodulin-binding domain (CaMbd). In this study we investigated: (1) the contribution of the N-terminal and C-terminal moieties of wFKBP73 to its biological activity by over-expression of the prolyl isomerase domains in transgenic rice, and (2) the biochemical characteristics of the C-terminal moiety. The recombinant wFKBP73 was found to bind calmodulin via the CaMbd and to be present mainly as a dimer in solution. The dimerization was abrogated when 138 amino acids from the C-terminal half were deleted. Expression of the full-length FKBP73 produced fertile rice plants, whereas the expression of the peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase domains in transgenic rice resulted in male-sterile plants. The male sterility was expressed at various stages of anther development with arrest of normal pollen development occurring after separation of the microspores from the tetrads. Although the direct cause of the dominant male sterility is not yet defined, we suggest that it is associated with a novel interaction of the prolyl isomerase domains with anther specific target proteins.