Simultaneous Application of Several Exogenous dsRNAs for the Regulation of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 4; p. 541
• Main Authors: Kiselev, Konstantin V, Suprun, Andrey R, Aleynova, Olga A, Ogneva, Zlata V, Dubrovina, Alexandra S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 16-02-2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Accumulation; Anthocyanidin reductase; anthocyanin biosynthesis; Anthocyanins; Aqueous solutions; Arabidopsis thaliana; Biosynthesis; Biotechnology; Calcium-binding protein; Calmodulin; Chalcone synthase; dsRNA foliar application; dsRNA plant surface treatment; Foliar applications; Gene expression; Gene regulation; Gene silencing; Genes; Genomes; Liquid chromatography; Pathogens; Reductases; RNA polymerase; RNAi; Surface treatment; Transcription factors; RNAi; dsRNA plant surface treatment; dsRNA foliar application; anthocyanin biosynthesis; gene expression
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants13040541

Plant surface treatment with double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) has gained recognition as a promising method for inducing gene silencing and combating plant pathogens. However, the regulation of endogenous plant genes by external dsRNAs has not been sufficiently investigated. Also, the effect of the simultaneous application of multiple gene-specific dsRNAs has not been analyzed. The aim of this study was to exogenously target five genes in
, namely, three transcription factor genes (
,
,
), a calmodulin-binding protein gene (
), and an anthocyanidin reductase gene (
), which are known as negative regulators of anthocyanin accumulation. Exogenous dsRNAs encoding these genes were applied to the leaf surface of
either individually or in mixtures. The mRNA levels of the five targets were analyzed using qRT-PCR, and anthocyanin content was evaluated through HPLC-MS. The results demonstrated significant downregulation of all five target genes by the exogenous dsRNAs, resulting in enhanced expression of chalcone synthase (
) gene and increased anthocyanin content. The simultaneous foliar application of the five dsRNAs proved to be more efficient in activating anthocyanin accumulation compared to the application of individual dsRNAs. These findings hold considerable importance in plant biotechnology and gene function studies.