Development of a gene evaluation system using virus vectors in Prunus

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26850016
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Horticultural science
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: KAWAI Takashi 京都大学, (連合)農学研究科(研究院), 助教 (90721134)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 果樹 / サクラ属 / ウイルスベクター / ジーンサイレンシング / 遺伝子機能評価

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) has been used as a rapid and effective tool for functional analysis of genes in various plants. In this study, we assessed the VIGS efficiency of Apple latent spherical virus (ALSV) vectors in a wide range of Prunus species and cultivars. We found that ALSV vectors could successfully induce VIGS of endogenous PHYTOENE DESATURASE (PDS) genes in several cultivars of apricot, sweet cherry, and almond, although ALSV infectivity and VIGS efficiency seemed to vary depending on species and/or cultivar in Prunus. Further optimization of viral inoculation procedures and growth conditions for infected plants will lead to the full use of ALSV vectors for evaluation of gene functions or various practical studies in Prunus.

Free Research Field

果樹園芸学