Epigenetic Modifications: An Unexplored Facet of Exogenous RNA Application in Plants
Exogenous RNA interference (exo-RNAi) is a powerful transgene-free tool in modern crop improvement and protection platforms. In exo-RNAi approaches, double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) or short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are externally applied in plants in order to selectively trigger degradation of target...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Plants |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/6/673 |
| Summary: | Exogenous RNA interference (exo-RNAi) is a powerful transgene-free tool in modern crop improvement and protection platforms. In exo-RNAi approaches, double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) or short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are externally applied in plants in order to selectively trigger degradation of target mRNAs. Yet, the applied dsRNAs may also trigger unintended epigenetic alterations and result in epigenetically modified plants, an issue that has not been sufficiently addressed and which merits more careful consideration. |
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| ISSN: | 2223-7747 |