Research to produce plants resistant to diseases caused by viruses using RNA Interference (RNAi)
In recent years, the genetic engineering has been considered as an important tool, a new choice in the work of selecting and producing plant breedings with desirable features such as: new color, better quality, and resistance to pathogens deriving from viruses and insects. Some viruses have been able to be controlled through the method of producing transgenic plants which bring genes or gene sections of pathogen-derived resistance. The resistant structures of genes derived from the pathogen (virus) were inserted into the host plant to produce different types of resistance such as: sense or antisense, inverted repeats/hairpin structure of viruses and artificial miRNAs whose target are gene order of pathogen or RNA interference, have being paid much concern and widely applied.
The operating mechanism of RNA interference was found and declared in Nature Magazine in 1998 by two American scientists, namely Fire and Mello. The findings also marked the beginning of a new research area. Fire and Mello had the honour to receive the Nobel Prize in medicine and physiology in 2006 for this important discovery.
Recently, there has been some research using RNAi to produce transgenic plant breeding resistant to diseases caused by viruses in Vietnam. The Plant Cell Biotechnology Lab - The Institute of Biotechnology led by Professor Le Tran Binh and Doctor Chu Hoang Ha was the first research group, to succeed in applying RNAi to produce transgenic viruses-resistant plants in Vietnam. One of the results of the research topic at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology level carried out in 2007-2008: “Research and apply RNAi to produce transgenic viruses-resistant plant breeding” was the production of transgenic tobacco resistant to cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV).
Tobacco line T-CMV-49 of disease-resistant completeness and comparative tree WT2-1 after three infection times
The RNAi has been then researched and applied in the research topic of national importance under the biotechnology development program (KC04-03/06-10) which was aimed at producing transgenic virus-resistant papaw and vesicular fruits. The topic was accepted in September, 2010. One achieved result of the topic was the production of transgenic papaw that can completely resist ring-spot virus.
Test PRSV virus resistance on transgenic papaw.
A, B: papaw after two virus infection months ; C, D: papaw after 5 virus infection months;
A, C: Intransgenic comparative line; C, D: transgenic papaw line A19.
The obtained results mentioned above are important bases that prove the capacity of accessing new technologies in the biotechnology sector, specifically, the ownership of RNAi by Vietnamese scientists. The above successes also create a new choice for researchers to produce virus-resistant plant breeding.
Translated by Hoang Lien
Link to Vietnamese version
