Advanced strategies to control plant pathogenic fungi by host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) and spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS)

Abstract

Plant pathogenic fungi and oomycetes cause severe losses of crop yield worldwide. Fungicides are widely applied to manage plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungi, but fungicide-resistant fungal populations have been increasingly reported. Recent techniques using RNA interference (RNAi), which define the ability of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to inhibit the expression of homologous gene(s), have been suggested for crop protection in an environmental-friendly way. These techniques, so-called host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) and spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS), are the innovative strategies to control plant diseases. The HIGS involves host expression of dsRNA targeting genes in interacting plant pathogens and the SIGS involves inhibition of plant pathogens through a direct spray of dsRNA targeting pathogen genes on plant tissues. In this review, we present recent studies of the HIGS and SIGS to protect plant diseases caused by fungal and oomycete pathogens.