WITH ZHAOHUI CHEN AND DR. HONG LUO, DEPARTMENT OF GENETICS AND BIOCHEMISTRY
Recently, climate change has become a major issue for agricultural production. Key crops have trouble adjusting to extreme weather, such as high winds, temperatures, and precipitation. These changing conditions have caused agricultural output to decrease. With the help of biotechnology, crops are being genetically modified to improve their survival in adverse conditions. RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural process that helps regulate gene expression. Similar to microRNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA), it uses double-stranded RNA to bind to a specific messenger RNA (mRNA) in the cytoplasm. The mRNA is destroyed, and protein synthesis is shut down. Studies have shown that altering levels of stress- related genes by miRNA, siRNA, and RNAi can change a plant’s stress response. In this research, stress-related genes connected to RNA m6A modifications are regulated by an RNAi structure to improve plant traits. The construction of an RNAi chimeric gene is shown on the research poster. Biotechnology and genetic engineering advancements offer a solution to unpredictable climate changes by altering a plant’s genome to increase its survival rate. Plant Biotechnology for Enhanced Agricultural Production
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