Virus Induced Gene Silencing Optimization in Plants: Things to be Considered

Study of biological processes is mostly limited to model plant species possessing considerable advantages like small genome size, tractability for genetic studies, ease of use, short generation time, and consequently availability of immense genetic resources. Discoveries from model species are extremely valuable but not enough for improvement of agronomic characteristics of economically important plants mainly due to divergence of mechanisms through evolution. Transient techniques are emerging as powerful tools for functional studies in diverse plant species and for validation of discoveries made in model species. Virus Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS), a transient reverse genetics tool, is extensively being used for performing rapid loss-of-function experiments in plants. Several of the advantages of VIGS including its suitability for high throughput studies will extend functional studies to diverse plant species, contributing to our understanding of unique biological processes. One of the main factors hindering even wider application of VIGS is its requirement for specific conditions with each species. This manuscript reviews the available information in the literature regarding efforts invested in several plant species and points out the key factors to be considered optimizing for achievement of efficient gene knock-down phenotypes in novel plant species.