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Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Virus-induced Gene Silencing VIGS in Nicotiana benthamiana and Tomato
Published on: June 10, 2009
Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) for functional genomics in rice using Rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) as a
Ravi Kant1, Shweta Sharma, Indranil Dasgupta
1Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi, 110021, India.
Abstract:
The large-scale functional analysis of genes in plants depends heavily on robust techniques for gene silencing. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a transient gene silencing method for plants, triggered by the inoculation of a modified viral vector carrying a fragment of the gene targeted for silencing. Here we describe a VIGS protocol for rice, based on the Rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV, a DNA virus). We present an updated and detailed protocol for silencing of the gene encoding Phytoene desaturase in rice, using the RTBV-VIGS system.
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