A method of high frequency virus-induced gene silencing in chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv. Bukang).
Using a tobacco rattle virus (TRV)-based virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) system, expression of phytogene desaturase (PDS) and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase small-subuit (rbcS) genes was suppressed in Nicotiana benthamiana and pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L. cv. Bukang). The silenced phenotypes of pale yellow (rbcS), and photobleached leaves (PDS), were invariably obvious 2 weeks after inoculation with the TRV-based vector. In a parallel experiment, the same set of genes was silenced in N. benthamiana and yielded identical phenotypes to pepper 1 week after inoculation. Northern blot analyses showed that the endogenous levels of CarbcS and CaPDS transcripts were dramatically reduced in the silenced leaf tissues. These observations confirm that the silenced phenotype is closely correlated with the pattern of tissue expression. To our knowledge, this is the first high frequency VIGS method in pepper plants. It should provide a tool for large-scale gene silencing studies in pepper functional genomics.
Chung
Eunsook
E
Plant Genomics Laboratory, Genome Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon 305-600, Korea.
Seong
Eunsoo
E
Kim
Yeoung-Cheol
YC
Chung
Eun Joo
EJ
Oh
Sang-Keun
SK
Lee
Sanghyeob
S
Park
Jeong Mee
JM
Joung
Young Hee
YH
Choi
Doil
D
D016960:Agrobacterium tumefaciens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002212:Capsicum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D020868:Gene Silencing; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010942:Plant Viruses / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D010940:Plant Proteins; D021122:Protein Subunits; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase