Question

How are transgenic Tobacco plants produced to solve the parasitic attacks on the tobacco plants?

Answer 1

Hint: Transgenic Tobacco plants are formed by causing a genetic transformation in them which will give them the ability to silence the genome of parasites. This mechanism is carried out by interfering with the RNA expression of the parasite.

Complete Step by Step Answer:
The Tobacco plants are made resistant to parasitic attacks by using RNA interference. The word interference means interfering with something. Here interference is done during RNA translation by cutting mRNA into tiny fragments. This was possible because of the DNA transfer technique by using endonucleases, ligases, vectors, etc.

Additional information: Let us look at how the mechanism of RNA interference operates.
The function of RNA interference is to silence or deactivate specific genes and it is a natural system occurring within all eukaryotic cells.

The process of RNA interference is initiated by the presence of short segments of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). This dsRNA is further processed by the DICER enzyme into short interfering RNA (siRNA). This siRNA now binds to an enzyme-containing molecule called RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). This siRNA-RISC complex binds to the target messenger RNA (mRNA) and cleaves it. Now the cleaved mRNA is non-functional or silenced. Thus, translation of mRNA into proteins will not occur.

Note:
- RNA interference is a method seen in many eukaryotic organisms as a way of cellular defense.
- The vector used to transfer the genes for RNA interference was Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Viruses having RNA genome of mobile genetic elements known as transposons can also be used.
- The Tobacco plant was made resistant to the nematode Meloidogyne incognita which infected the roots of the plant and caused a reduction in yield.