Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40820572›Full record

ArticleMolecular plant pathology2025

RNAi Strategies Against Downy Mildews: Insights Into dsRNA Uptake and Silencing.

Deniz Göl, Emeka Okechukwu, Gizem Ünal, Anne Webb, Tom Wood, Yiguo Hong, Sherif M Sherif, Theresa Wacker, David J Studholme, John M McDowell and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular plant pathology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Deniz GölMolecular Plant and Microbial Biosciences Research Unit, School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6527-2598
Emeka OkechukwuMolecular Plant and Microbial Biosciences Research Unit, School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0840-4950
Gizem ÜnalMolecular Plant and Microbial Biosciences Research Unit, School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9366-9683
Anne WebbNIAB, Plant Pathology Department, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8263-1997
Tom WoodNIAB, Plant Pathology Department, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4637-9955
Yiguo HongMolecular Plant and Microbial Biosciences Research Unit, School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3352-9686
Sherif M SherifAlson H. Smith Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Winchester, Virginia, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2801-0679
Theresa WackerBiosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1789-2346
David J StudholmeBiosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3010-6637
John M McDowellSchool of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9070-4874
Mahmut TörMolecular Plant and Microbial Biosciences Research Unit, School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4416-5048

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/V014609/1Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/X018245/1Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/X018253/1National Science Foundation 2319757
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Downy mildew (DM) diseases are caused by destructive obligate pathogens with limited control options, posing a significant threat to global agriculture. RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as a promising, environmentally sustainable strategy for disease management. We evaluated the efficacy of dsRNA-mediated RNAi in suppressing key biological functions in DM pathogens of Arabidopsis thaliana, pea and lettuce: Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (Hpa), Peronospora viciae f. sp. pisi (Pvp) and Bremia lactucae (Bl), respectively. Conserved genes, cellulose synthase 3 (CesA3) and beta-tubulin (BTUB), were targeted. Silencing these genes significantly impaired spore germination and infection across species and reduced gene expression correlated with suppressed sporulation, confirming silencing efficacy. We tested dsRNAs from chemical synthesis, in vitro transcription, and Escherichia coli expression. Uptake and silencing efficiency varied with dsRNA length and concentration. In Hpa, short dsRNAs (21-25 bp) produced a variable spore germination rate, with 25 bp dsRNA causing a 247.10% increase, whereas longer dsRNAs (≥ 30 bp) completely inhibited germination. Similarly, in Pvp, dsRNAs of 21-25 bp resulted in a 73.05%-77.46% germination rate, while 30-75 bp dsRNAs abolished germination. Confocal microscopy using Cy-5-labelled short-synthesised dsRNA (SS-dsRNA) confirmed uptake by spores. Sequence specificity influenced efficacy, highlighting the need for precise target design. Multiplexed RNAi impacted silencing synergistically, further reducing germination and sporulation in Hpa. Importantly, SS-dsRNA-mediated silencing was durable, with reduced gene expression sustained at 4, 7, 10 and 11 days post-inoculation. Taken together, our findings demonstrate the potential of dsRNA-mediated gene silencing as a precise, sustainable tool for managing DM pathogens in multiple crop species.

Indexed as

PeronosporaPlant DiseasesRNA, Double-StrandedRNA InterferenceArabidopsisLactucaSpores, FungalRNA, Double-Strandeddowny mildewsdsRNA‐mediated gene silencingmodel and crop plantsoomycetesplant‐microbe interactions

Identifiers

PMID40820572
PMCPMC12358739

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.