Plant Gene Silencing by Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS)

Lifeasible offers the state-of-the-art platform for gene-specific silencing in plants by introducing virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS).

What Is VIGS?

VIGS is one of the most powerful reverse genetics tools for rapid determination of plant gene functions and has been now used for diverse monocot and dicot plant species.

VIGS system uses viral vectors carrying a target gene fragment to produce dsRNA which initiate RNA-mediated gene silencing. Briefly, 21-25 nt small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are produced with the help of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDRP) and Dicer after viral vectors being imported into host cells, followed by their incorporation into RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). The antisense strand of the siRNA guides degradation or translation suppression of target mRNA at the post-transcriptional level or induces transcriptional inhibition of target mRNA by RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) on the promoter.

VIGS is increasingly used as an alternative to stable transformation-based RNA interference (RNAi) to silence the target genes in plants.

Figure 1. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). (Courdavault, et al., 2020)

Advantages of VIGS

• Stable and easy: Target gene fragment can be assembled by direct cloning in the virus vector without involving assembly of inverted repeats that may be unstable during propagation in bacterial hosts.
• Simple and rapid: The VIGS vectors usually are introduced into plants by mechanical inoculation - Agrobacterium-mediated agroinfiltration or biolistic bombardment, and the VIGS phenotype develops within 1 or 2 weeks.
• Lower cost: The cost of VIGS experiment is relatively low, and high-throughput screening studies can be achieved.

Our Services

Selection of Target Fragments

The target gene sequence information is provided by the customer, and our experts can also help customers determine the target gene sequence and select the insertion fragment based on the customer's research situation. Whether you want to silence a specific gene or multiple genes, our experts can provide professional and reliable advice.

Construction of Viral Vectors

The construction of viral vectors is particularly important. We can select appropriate viruses to construct VIGS vectors based on plant types and research conditions. Lifeasible has developed a variety of virus-derived vectors and plant transformation systems of tobacco, potato, petunia, cotton, pepper, barley, Arabidopsis, soybean, rice, which are readily available to accommodate the diverse needs of the clients.

Viruses Used to Construct VIGS Vectors

Viral Vectors Inoculation

There are many delivery methods for VIGS, such as friction inoculation, leaf injection, vacuum infiltration, Agrobacterium-mediated agroinfiltration, and biolistic bombardment. The delivery method will affect the efficiency of gene silencing to some extent. Different inoculation sites and different periods of gene silencing require different delivery methods. We will choose the appropriate inoculation method based on the host and viral vector.

Plant Cultivation

We will determine the appropriate cultivation conditions based on the plant and vector.

Plant Analysis

We provide a variety of analytical services to identify gene silencing effects, including target gene phenotype analysis, silencing efficiency assessment, biochemical analysis, gene function analysis, metabolite profiling, etc.

VIGS Service Workflow

For more information or to discuss in detail, please contact us.

Why Choose Lifeasible?