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Updated: Sep 30, 2026

Inoculation Strategies to Infect Plant Roots with Soil-Borne Microorganisms
Published on: March 1, 2022
Engineered Rhizobacteria Exploit Bacterial Vesicles for Cross-Kingdom RNAi and Soilborne Disease Control
Haifeng Ding1,2, Di Qiu1,2,3, Chao Zhou1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi, China.
Abstract:
The escalating severity of antifungal resistance necessitates novel crop protection strategies. RNAi is promising but faces challenges including environmental instability of dsRNA and poor cellular delivery efficiency. In this study, we engineered the cotton rhizobacterium Pantoea agglomerans YC4 to deliver dsRNA into Verticillium dahliae. Small RNA-seq revealed that bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) selectively enrich specific endogenous sRNAs compared with intracellular compartments, with a congruent sRNA enrichment pattern observed in fungal cells, thus confirming OMVs as the primary carriers for cross-kingdom RNA delivery. Synthetic biology strategies, including promoter engineering and OmpA-DRB4 fusion, further boosted dsRNA production and OMVs loading capacity. Greenhouse trials demonstrated the persistent colonization of engineered strain in the cotton rhizosphere, and alleviated Verticillium wilt symptoms and reduced fungal burden. This work establishes an engineered rhizosphere symbiont platform for in situ RNAi delivery, offering a practical and sustainable strategy for controlling soil-borne fungal diseases.
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Experimental RNAi
Types of RNA
Three main types of RNA are involved in protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). These RNAs perform diverse functions and can be broadly classified as protein-coding or non-coding RNA. Non-coding RNAs play important roles in the regulation of gene expression in response to developmental and environmental changes. Non-coding RNAs in prokaryotes can be manipulated to develop more effective antibacterial drugs for human or animal use.
RNA...

