Pest-resistant plants by RNA interference sheet3-mark answer frameExplain how RNA interference has been used to protect tobacco plants from nematodes.
How to lay out the answer. Follow the frame, then write it in your own words.
- 1 · Define RNAi. RNA interference silences a specific mRNA when a complementary dsRNA binds it and blocks translation.
- 2 · Name the pest. Meloidogyne incognita, a nematode that infects tobacco roots.
- 3 · Transfer the genes. Nematode-specific genes were introduced into tobacco using Agrobacterium vectors.
- 4 · Form dsRNA. The host cells made sense and antisense RNA, which paired into dsRNA.
- 5 · Silence the pest. The dsRNA silenced the nematode's specific mRNA, so the parasite could not survive.
- 6 · Close in one line. So the transgenic plant protects itself through RNAi.
Scoring tip: Name the nematode in full and use both words 'sense' and 'antisense'.
