Harnessing environmental‐RNAi to win an enduring battle: Plant versus pathogen

Abstract

With increasing fear of GMOs and pesticide residues in agricultural products and the environment, alternative efficient, fast approaches are urgently needed for crop protection. After its first report in 2001, topical applications of dsRNA showed a great potential as a non-transgenic approach to counter plant pathogens and pests via RNA-silencing (Tenllado & Dıaz-Ruız, 2001). The advantages of RNAi, such as specificity and lack of the main GMO's drawback, public concerns, give topical RNAi great potential to become a future trend in environmental-friendly plant protection strategies.Several studies illustrated that one of the main ways of communication between the microbiome and their interacting partner(s) is by the RNA language. Such communication is a crucial determinant for the nature of the interaction, from parasitism to commensalism.Plants and pathogens continuously exchange small RNA (sRNA) molecules to alter gene expression at their opponent side, so-called process 'environmental-RNAi' or 'cross-kingdom RNAi' (Huang

Exogenous Application of dsRNA in Plant Protection: Efficiency, Safety Concerns and Risk Assessment

“…Second, dsRNA molecules can be applied topically in the form of spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) [ 32 ]. The effectiveness of exogenously applied dsRNA-induced RNAi in plants may be influenced by various factors, including but not limited to the concentration and size of dsRNAs, application methods, delivery techniques, organ-specific activities within the plant or insect, and stability in adverse environmental conditions [ 33 ]. Ultimately, these factors play a crucial role in determining the rate of absorption and uptake of exogenous dsRNAs by targeting tissues, thereby initiating the RNAi response [ 34 , 35 ].…”