病毒诱导的基因沉默技术用于植物色素代谢机制的研究进展

Application of virus-induced gene silencing technology to investigate the phytochrome metabolism mechanism: a review

摘要:

色彩是评价园艺植物观赏性状的重要指标，而植物色素是影响植物色彩表型的关键因子。植物色素及其代谢产物在植物观赏器官颜色形成、植株生长发育调节及对逆境胁迫的响应等方面发挥着重要的作用，是植物研究领域长期关注的热点问题。病毒诱导基因沉默（virus-induced gene silencing，VIGS）是利用植物同源依赖性防御机制，特异性降低宿主内源性基因表达的一种重要基因组学工具，能够通过快速诱导植物基因沉默表型的产生，表征基因的功能，为缺乏遗传转化体系的植物的基因功能鉴定提供高效可行的替代方案。本文综述了VIGS技术在植物色素的生物合成、降解和调控机制上的应用现状，并探讨了VIGS技术在探究色素调控机制上的潜力和未来前景，以期进一步完善对不同植物色素的代谢过程和调控机制的理解，为改良植物色彩性状提供参考依据。

Abstract:

Color is an important indicator for evaluating the ornamental traits of horticultural plants, and plant pigments is a key factor affecting the color phenotype of plants. Plant pigments and their metabolites play important roles in color formation of ornamental organs, regulation of plant growth and development, and response to adversity stress. It has therefore became a hot topic in the field of plant research. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a vital genomics tool that specifically reduces host endogenous gene expression utilizing plant homology-dependent defense mechanisms. In addition, VIGS enables characterization of gene function by rapidly inducing the gene-silencing phenotypes in plants. It provides an efficient and feasible alternative for verifying gene function in plant species lacking genetic transformation systems. This paper reviews the current status of the application of VIGS technology in the biosynthesis, degradation and regulatory mechanisms of plant pigments. Moreover, this review discusses the potential and future prospects of VIGS technology in exploring the regulatory mechanisms of plant pigments, with the aim to further our understandings of the metabolic processes and regulatory mechanisms of different plant pigments as well as improving plant color traits.