en عمومى General پژوهشي Original article <div style="border-style: solid none border-top-color: windowtext border-top-width: 1pt border-bottom-color: windowtext border-bottom-width: 1pt padding: 1pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr unicode-bidi: embed border: none padding: 0cm"><b>Background and Aims:</b> Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) is a virus vector technology that exploits antiviral defense mechanism. By infecting plants with recombinant viruses containing host genes inserted in the viral genome, VIGS achieves the RNA silencing process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of tomato (<i>Lycopersicon esculentum </i>Mill.) and tobacco (<i>Nicotiana benthamiana)</i> phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene silencing, using VIGS technique by VIGS vector containing tomato PDS. <!--stripped--><!--stripped--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr unicode-bidi: embed border: none padding: 0cm"><b>Methods:</b> PDS gene encodes one of the important enzymes in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. In this method <i>Tobacco rattle tobravirus </i>(TRV) vectors including pTRV₁<span dir="rtl" lang="FA">، </span>pTRV₂<span dir="rtl"> </span>and pTRV₂PDS were used. The pTRV₂PDS vector carried inserts derived from tomato PDS gene<span dir="rtl" lang="AR-SA">.</span> Vectors were transformed<i>&nbsp;</i>into<i>&nbsp;</i><i>Escherichia coli</i><span dir="rtl"> </span>strain DH₅&alpha;. <i>Agrobacterium tumefaciens</i> strain GV3101 cells were transformed by the vectors<i>&nbsp;</i>containing specific genes. <!--stripped--><!--stripped--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr unicode-bidi: embed border: none padding: 0cm"><b>Results:</b> Colony PCR with specific primers proved the presence of the<i>&nbsp;</i>PDS and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase genes in selected agrobacterium random colonies. Agrobactrium containing pTRV₁<b><span dir="rtl" lang="FA">، </span></b>pTRV₂<b><span dir="rtl"> </span></b>and pTRV₂PDS was inoculated into induction media culture. Finally, acetosyringone was added to pTRV₁ culture and then pTRV₁and pTRV₂PDS cultures mixed in a 1:1 ratio. Mixed culture was infiltrated into the test plant seedlings using 1ml needless syringe. <!--stripped--><!--stripped--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr unicode-bidi: embed border: none padding: 0cm"><b>Conclusion:<span style="color: red">&nbsp;</span></b>Results showed the gene silencing in the form of photobleaching and mosaic occurred in tomato and tobacco plant leaves, respectively. However, plant infiltration with pTRV₁and_&nbsp;pTRV₂(without PDS gene as control) mixed culture did not show any photobleaching.<b><span style="color: red"><!--stripped--><!--stripped--></span></b></p> </div> VIGS, Tobacco rattle tobravirus vectors, Gene silencing, Phytoene Desaturase 7 11 http://journal.isv.org.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-24&slc_lang=en&sid=1 N Jaberolansar 10031947532846002603 10031947532846002603 No Faculty of Agriculture, University of Shahid Chamran of Ahvaz, Iran J Hayati 10031947532846002604 10031947532846002604 No Faculty of Agriculture, University of Shahid Chamran of Ahvaz, Iran H Rajabi-Memari 10031947532846002605 10031947532846002605 Yes Faculty of Agriculture, University of Shahid Chamran of Ahvaz, Iran SA Hosseini-Tafreshi 10031947532846002606 10031947532846002606 No Faculty of Science, University of Kashan, Iran D Nabati-Ahmadi 10031947532846002607 10031947532846002607 No Faculty of Agriculture, University of Shahid Chamran of Ahvaz, Iran