1887

Abstract

RNA interference (RNAi) is a sequence-specific post-transcriptional gene silencing system that downregulates target gene expression. Here, we provide several lines of evidence for RNA silencing in the industrial -lactam antibiotic producer using the reporter gene under the control of the constitutive promoter or the inducible promoter. The functional RNAi system was verified by detection of siRNAs that hybridized exclusively with gene-specific P-labelled RNA probes. Moreover, when RNAi was used to silence the endogenous morphogene that controls conidiophore development, a dramatic reduction in the formation of conidiospores was observed in 47 % of the corresponding transformants. Evidence that RNAi in is dependent on a Dicer peptide was provided with a strain lacking . In the ΔPcdcl2 background, silencing of the gene was tested. None of the transformants analysed showed a developmental defect. The applicability of the RNAi system in was finally demonstrated by silencing the gene to increase homologous recombination frequency. This led to the generation of single and double knockout mutants.

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2009-12-01
2024-10-09
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