• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.158-163
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• 2005

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a recently developed gene transcript suppression technique for characterizing the function of plant genes. However, efficient VIGS has only been studied in a few plant species. In order to extend the application of VIGS, we examined whether a VIGS vector based on TRV would produce recognizable phenotypes in soybean. Here, we report that VIGS using the Tobacco rattle virus (TRV) viral vector can be used in several soybean cultivars employing various agro-inoculation methods including leaf infiltration, spray inoculation, and agrodrench. cDNA fragments of the soybean phytoene desaturase(PDS) was inserted into TRV RNA-2 vector. By agrodrench, we successfully silenced the expression of PDS encoding gene in soybean. The silenced phenotype of PDS was invariably obvious 3 weeks after inoculation with the TRV-based vector. Real-time RT-PCR analyses showed that the endogenous level of GmPDS transcripts was dramatically reduced in the silenced leaf tissues. These observations confirm that the silenced phenotype is closely correlated with the pattern of tissue expression. The TRV-based VIGS using agrodrench can be applied to functional genomics in a soybean plants to study genes involved in a wide range of biological processes. To our knowledge, this is the first high frequency VIGS method in soybean plants.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.112-122
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• 2016

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is an effective tool for the study of soybean gene function. Successful VIGS depends on the interaction between virus spread and plant growth, which can be influenced by environmental conditions. Recently, we developed a new VIGS system derived from the Soybean yellow common mosaic virus (SYCMV). Here, we investigated several environmental and developmental factors to improve the efficiency of a SYCMV-based VIGS system to optimize the functional analysis of the soybean. Following SYCMV: Glycine max-phytoene desaturase (GmPDS) infiltration, we investigated the effect of photoperiod, inoculation time, concentration of Agrobacterium inoculm, and growth temperature on VIGS efficiency. In addition, the relative expression of GmPDS between non-silenced and silenced plants was measured by qRT-PCR. We found that gene silencing efficiency was highest at a photoperiod of 16/8 h (light/dark) at a growth temperature of approximately $27^{\circ}C$ following syringe infiltration to unrolled unifoliolate leaves in cotyledon stage with a final SYCMV:GmPDS optimal density $(OD)_{600}$ of 2.0. Using this optimized protocol, we achieved high efficiency of GmPDS-silencing in various soybean germplasms including cultivated and wild soybeans. We also confirmed that VIGS occurred in the entire plant, including the root, stem, leaves, and flowers, and could transmit GmPDS to other soybean germplasms via mechanical inoculation. This optimized protocol using a SYCMV-based VIGS system in the soybean should provide a fast and effective method to elucidate gene functions and for use in large-scale screening experiments.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.112-118
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• 2005

It was previously shown that AtNAP1 is a plastidic SufB protein involved in Fe-S cluster assembly in Arabidopsis. In this study, we investigated the effects of depleting SufB protein from plant cells using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). VIGS of NbNAP1 encoding a Nicotiana benthamiana homolog of AtNAP1 resulted in a leaf yellowing phenotype. NbNAP1 was expressed ubiquitously in plant tissues with the highest level in roots. A GFP fusion protein of the N-terminal region (M1-V103) of NbNAP1 was targeted to chloroplasts. Depletion of NbNAP1 resulted in reduced numbers of chloroplasts of reduced size. Mitochondria also seemed to be affected. Despite the reduced number and size of the chloroplasts in the NbNAP1 VIGS lines, the expression of many nuclear genes encoding chloroplast-targeted proteins and chlorophyll biosynthesis genes remained unchanged.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2013

At present, megavoltage computed tomography (MVCT) is the only method used to correct the position of tomotherapy patients. MVCT produces extra radiation, in addition to the radiation used for treatment, and repositioning also takes up much of the total treatment time. To address these issues, we suggest the use of a video image-guided setup (VIGS) system for correcting the position of tomotherapy patients. We developed an in-house program to correct the exact position of patients using two orthogonal images obtained from two video cameras installed at $90^{\circ}$ and fastened inside the tomotherapy gantry. The system is programmed to make automatic registration possible with the use of edge detection of the user-defined region of interest (ROI). A head-and-neck patient is then simulated using a humanoid phantom. After taking the computed tomography (CT) image, tomotherapy planning is performed. To mimic a clinical treatment course, we used an immobilization device to position the phantom on the tomotherapy couch and, using MVCT, corrected its position to match the one captured when the treatment was planned. Video images of the corrected position were used as reference images for the VIGS system. First, the position was repeatedly corrected 10 times using MVCT, and based on the saved reference video image, the patient position was then corrected 10 times using the VIGS method. Thereafter, the results of the two correction methods were compared. The results demonstrated that patient positioning using a video-imaging method ($41.7{\pm}11.2$ seconds) significantly reduces the overall time of the MVCT method ($420{\pm}6$ seconds) (p<0.05). However, there was no meaningful difference in accuracy between the two methods (x=0.11 mm, y=0.27 mm, z=0.58 mm, p>0.05). Because VIGS provides a more accurate result and reduces the required time, compared with the MVCT method, it is expected to manage the overall tomotherapy treatment process more efficiently.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.91-97
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• 2015

The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, is the major insect pest that transmitted over 100 plant viruses including tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) of tomato plant as virus vector in the world. In this study, cDNA library of whitefly was constructed using Gateway system for selecting target gene in order to control of B. tabaci using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) vector with RNAi. First of all, when using oligo d(T) rimer, the calculated titer of cDNA library was confirmed with $1.4{\times}10^4$ clones and average insert sizes was confirmed with 1 kb. However, insert size was very big for construction of cDNA. Otherwise, when using attB-N25 random primer and sonication for 6 sec, the calculated titer of cDNA library was confirmed with $1.04{\times}10^5$ clones. But mostly insert band wasn't identified on the electrophoresis, because it seemed that insert size is too small (${\leq}100bp$), also the size of identified insert was somewhat big. Finally, when using oligo d(T) primer and sonication for 1 sec, cDNA insert of whitefly was appropriated for VIGS with 300-600 bp. However, cDNA sequence included a poly A and titer was very low to $5.2{\times}10^2$ clones. It was supposed that heat shock transformation was used instead of electro-transformation. It is considered that when constructing cDNA library for using VIGS vector, (1) random primer should be used for First strand cDNA synthesis in order to remove poly A and (2) sonication for 1 sec should be performed in order to get appropriated insert size and (3) electro-transformation should be performed in order to improve transformation efficiency.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Biotechnology Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.27-29
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• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.5-6
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• 2005

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.145-180
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• 2017

Alternanthera mosaic virus (AltMV) is a member of the genus Potexvirus which has been known for less than twenty years, and has been detected in Australasia, Europe, North and South America, and Asia. The natural host range to date includes species in at least twenty-four taxonomically diverse plant families, with species in at least four other families known to be infected experimentally. AltMV has been shown to differ from Potato virus X (PVX), the type member of the genus Potexvirus, in a number of ways, including the subcellular localization of the Triple Gene Block 3 (TGB3) protein and apparent absence of interactions between TGB3 and TGB2. Differences between AltMV variants have allowed identification of viral determinants of pathogenicity, and identification of residues involved in interactions with host proteins. Infectious clones of AltMV differing significantly in symptom severity and efficiency of RNA silencing suppression have been produced, suitable either for high level protein expression (with efficient RNA silencing suppression) or for Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS; with weaker RNA silencing suppression), demonstrating a range of utility not available with most other plant viral vectors. The difference in silencing suppression efficiency was shown to be due to a single amino acid residue substitution in TGB1, and to differences in subcellular localization of TGB1 to the nucleus and nucleolus. The current state of knowledge of AltMV biology, including host range, strain differentiation, host interactions, and utility as a plant viral vector for both protein expression and VIGS are summarized.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.153-160
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• 2006

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is an attractive reverse-genetics tool for studying gene function in plants. We showed that silencing of a phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene is maintained throughout TRV-PDS-inoculated tomato plants as well as in their flowers and fruit and is enhanced by low temperature ($15^{\circ}C$) and low humidity (30%). RT-PCR analysis of the PDS gene revealed a dramatic reduction in the level of PDS mRNA in leaves, flowers and fruits. Silencing of PDS results in the accumulation of phytoene, the desaturase substrate. In addition, the content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll in the leaves of PDS-silenced plants was reduced by more than 90%. We also silenced the LeEIN2 gene by infecting seedlings, and this suppressed fruit ripenning. We conclude that this VIGS approach should facilitate large-scale functional analysis of genes involved in the development and ripening of tomato.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.9
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• pp.660-672
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• 2022

The target of rapamycin complex (TORC) plays a key role in plant cell growth and survival by regulating the gene expression and metabolism according to environmental information. TORC activates transcription, mRNA translation, and anabolic processes under favorable conditions, thereby promoting plant growth and development. Tomato fruit ripening is a complex developmental process promoted by ethylene and specific transcription factors. TORC is known to modulate leaf senescence in tomato. In this study, we investigated the function of TORC in tomato fruit ripening using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of the TORC genes, TOR, lethal with SEC13 protein 8 (LST8), and regulatory-associated protein of TOR (RAPTOR). Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed that the expression levels of tomato TORC genes were the highest in the orange stage during fruit development in Micro-Tom tomato. VIGS of these TORC genes using stage 2 tomato accelerated fruit ripening with premature orange/red coloring and decreased fruit growth, when control tobacco rattle virus 2 (TRV2)-myc fruits reached the mature green stage. TORC-deficient fruits showed early accumulation of carotenoid lycopene and reduced cellulose deposition in pericarp cell walls. The early ripening fruits had higher levels of transcripts related to fruit ripening transcription factors, ethylene biosynthesis, carotenoid synthesis, and cell wall modification. Finally, the early ripening phenotype in Micro-Tom tomato was reproduced in the commercial cultivar Moneymaker tomato by VIGS of the TORC genes. Collectively, these results demonstrate that TORC plays an important role in tomato fruit ripening by modulating the transcription of various ripening-related genes.