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Updated: Oct 8, 2025

In Vitro Selection of Engineered Transcriptional Repressors for Targeted Epigenetic Silencing
Published on: May 5, 2023
RNA silencing: From discovery and elucidation to application and perspectives
Jian-Hua Zhao1,2, Hui-Shan Guo1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Microbiology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
Abstract:
RNA silencing (or RNA interference, RNAi) is a conserved mechanism for regulating gene expression in eukaryotes. The discovery of natural trans-kingdom RNAi indicated that small RNAs act as signaling molecules and enable communication between organisms in different kingdoms. The phenomenon and potential mechanisms of trans-kingdom RNAi are among the most exciting research topics. To better understand trans-kingdom RNAi, we review the history of the discovery and elucidation of RNAi mechanisms. Based on canonical RNAi mechanisms, we summarize the major points of divergence around RNAi pathways in the main eukaryotes' kingdoms, including plants, animals, and fungi. We review the representative incidents associated with the mechanisms and applications of trans-kingdom RNAi in crop protection, and discuss the critical factors that should be considered to develop successful trans-kingdom RNAi-based crop protection strategies.
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