Engineered dsRNA-Protein Nanoparticles for Effective Systemic Gene Silencing in Plants

Abstract

Abstract Long-distance transport or systemic silencing effects of exogenous biologically active RNA molecules in higher plants has not been reported. Here, we report that cationized bovine serum albumin (cBSA) avidly binds double-stranded beta-glucuronidase RNA (dsGUS RNA) to form nucleic acid-protein nanocomplexes. In our experiments with tobacco and poplar plants, we have successfully demonstrated the uptake and systemic gene silencing effects of cBSA/dsGUS RNA nanocomplexes when we locally applied cBSA/dsGUS RNA nanocomplexes from basal ends of leaf petioles or shoots. We have further demonstrated that the cBSA/dsGUS RNA nanocomplexes are highly effective in silencing both conditionally inducible DR5-GUS gene and constitutively active 35S-GUS gene in leaf, shoot and shoot meristem tissues. This cBSA/dsRNA delivery technology may provide a convenient, fast, and inexpensive tool for characterizing gene functions in plants, and potentially for in planta gene-editing.