Gene silencing — the future for grain growers?

摘要

CSIRO Plant Industry has developed hairpin RNAi gene silencing — a powerful new technology set to deliver the next generation of crop varieties through both conventional plant breeding and genetic modification. Hairpin RNAi is one of the best methods that can be used to 'silence' genes. Silencing genes is when the activity of a gene is turned off or down. By altering gene activity in this way, scientists are genetically modifying a plant. Genes are responsible for how a plant grows and develops and responds to its environment — so silencing the activity of specific genes can have huge implications on plant health and productivity.