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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Cereal Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #203108
Title: Dual applications of a virus vector for studies of wheat-fungal interactions

Author
item Tai, Yin Shan
item BRAGG, JENNIFER - UC BERKELEY

Submitted to: Biotechnology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/3/2006
Publication Date: 6/16/2007
Citation: Tai, Y., Bragg, J. 2007. Dual applications of a virus vector for studies of wheat-fungal interactions. Biotechnology 6 (2):288-291.

Interpretive Summary: In the post-genomic era, research on functional genomics is a major trend. One essential feature needed for much of this work is the ability to investigate gene function in a high-throughput manner. To verify the function of a given gene, stable transgenic plants are often generated as a routine approach for most plant species. However, obtaining transgenic wheat plants for this purpose is still a highly challenging barrier because of the nature of wheat and technical limitations. This work presents an alternative method to study gene function in wheat. To help understand a gene’s function, one can either decrease (gene silencing) or increase (overexpression) the level of gene expression. We previously developed and reported a virus vector that could be used as a tool for gene silencing in wheat in moderately high-throughput applications. Now we extend the utilization of this virus vector system into an expression system. To demonstrate its applicability, we have applied it to the study of ToxA, a fungal toxin important in tan spot disease of wheat. We further discuss the possible application of this system to fungal functional genomics.

Technical Abstract: Obtaining stable transgenic plants is still a highly challenging barrier for analyses of gene function in wheat. Unlike the situation with dicots and other model organisms, RNA silencing and transient assays of gene expression are not well-established in wheat. We previously developed and reported a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) system in wheat, and now we present here a transient expression system for assays in wheat. To demonstrate the utility of this transient assay system, we have applied it to the study of ToxA, a fungal toxin important in tan spot disease of wheat.