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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Wooster, Ohio » Corn, Soybean and Wheat Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #345990
Research Project: Genetic and Biochemical Basis of Soft Winter Wheat End-Use Quality

Location: Corn, Soybean and Wheat Quality Research

Title: Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) as a virus-induced gene silencing vector in maize seedlings

Author
item JARUGULA, SRIDHAR - The Ohio State University
item Willie, Kristen
item Stewart, Lucy

Submitted to: Virus Genes
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/4/2018
Publication Date: 5/11/2018
Citation: Jarugula, S., Willie, K.J., Stewart, L.R. 2018. Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) as a virus-induced gene silencing vector in maize seedlings. Virus Genes. 54: 616-620. doi.org/10.1007/s11262-018-1569-9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11262-018-1569-9

Interpretive Summary: Virus-induced silencing approaches to target specific host plant sequences for degradation are very valuable for understanding plant gene functions, and are available for many plant systems. However, fewer high-throughput virus systems are available to utilize this technology in grass crops such as corn and wheat than for model broadleaf plants. One of the most effective and utilized virus-induced silencing systems for grassy crops to date is based on barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV). Even though BSMV reportedly infects some genotypes of corn, so far it's silencing applications have only been effective in other grasses, wheat and barley. We show adaptation of BSMV and an inoculation protocol to induce silencing in multiple corn genotypes, adding to the repertoire of functional genomics tools available to understand the function of genes in corn seedlings

Technical Abstract: Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV; genus Hordeivirus family Virgaviridae) was the first reported and still widely used virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) vector for monocotyledons. The utility of the virus as VIGS vector has been demonstrated in monocotyledonous hosts including wheat and barley. Despite BSMV’s reported infectivity on maize (Zea mays), the use of the virus as a vector in maize has not been optimized. Here, we assayed infectivity of BSMV in different maize cultivars by vascular puncture inoculation. Through knock-down of the endogenous host phytoene desaturase gene, we demonstrate for the first time that BSMV can be used as VIGS vector in maize. This adds BSMV to the repertoire of tools available for functional studies in maize