Functions Of Bouble-Stranded RNA Binding Proteins In RNA Silencing Are Analized By Using Agroinfiltration.

Abstract

In plants, RNA silencing acts as a gene regulatory and an antiviral defense system. To counteract RNA silencing, many plant viruses encode silencing suppressor proteins. Agroinfiltration in N. benthamiana is widely used to detect the effects of these viral suppressors. We obtained the similar result to that of a viral suppressor (HC-Pro) in this system when we tested a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) binding protein (DRB4), which is involved in RNA silencing in Arabidopsis thaliana. There are five DRBs including DRB4 in A. thaliana, but many of their functions are not known yet. Therefore, based on experiments in this system, we have tested whether these proteins have effects on silencing. We have also tested an RNase III-like protein, RTL2. RTL2 has a dsRNA binding motif like DRB family, but its function is also unknown.