USWBSI Abstract Viewer

2022 National Fusarium Head Blight Forum


Gene Discovery & Engineering Resistance (GDER)

Poster # 135

Spherical Nucleic Acids for Fusarium graminearum Gene Regulation

Authors & Affiliations:

Brandon Montoya1,Isha Mittal2,3, Steve Scofield4, Jyoti Shah2,3, and Brian Meckes1,3
1. University of North Texas, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Denton, Texas
2. University of North Texas, Department of Biological Sciences, Denton, Texas
3. BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
4. USDA-ARS, West Lafayette, Indiana
Corresponding Authors: Brian Meckes, brian.meckes@unt.edu; Jyoti Shah, jyoti.shah@unt.edu

Corresponding Author:

Brian Meckes
brian.meckes@unt.edu

Abstract:

Plants and fungi natively regulate expression of genes through the RNA interreference (RNAi) pathway, a mechanism where small interfering RNAs (siRNAs; 19-21 base pairs in length) bind to target mRNAs preventing their expression. The use of siRNAs to limit fungal virulence and decrease plant susceptibility to infections is promising pathways to realizing green fungicides due to the high specificity of this processes. However, efficient delivery of siRNA remains challenging for many applications due to their susceptibility to nucleases and poor entry. Here, we will discuss approaches for developing non-toxic and biocompatible liposomal nanoparticles that use natural products for the delivery of siRNA to plants. Specifically, we focus on the development of spherical nucleic acids, nanoparticle consisting of a spherical core with a dense and highly oriented nucleic acid shell, as potential fungicidal vehicles. We have demonstrated the uptake of LNP formulation consisting of micelles and liposomal templates in Fusarium graminearum at short incubation times <20 mins, highlighting the promise of this approach. In addition, we have found that our LNPs lead to knockdown of potential target genes. 


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