Grapevine leafroll disease (GLD) is a globally spreading viral infection that causes major economic loss by reducing crop yield, plant longevity and hampering berry quality, with no effective treatment. Grapevine leafroll associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3) is the most severe and prevalent GLD strain. We evaluated the ability of RNA interference (RNAi), a non-GMO gene-silencing pathway, to treat GLRaV-3 in infected vines.<br/>We synthesized lipid-particles as a carrier for double-stranded RNA (dsRNA, 250-bp-long) to target two conserved sequences in GLRaV-3’s viral genome. The RNAi lipid particles, 220 nm in diameter, displayed a fibrillar structure with high-contrast locally ordered domains, correlating to the aminated lipid wrapping spirally around the dsRNA. The formulation effectively protected RNA from degradation by ribonucleases. Furthermore, particles trafficked distantly from the application site, after being applied to the grapevine leaves. In three field experiments conducted on Cabernet Sauvignon vines, foliar administration of RNAi particles knocked down GLRaV-3 titer and initiated recovery of the vine and berries.<br/>This study demonstrates RNAi as a promising platform for treating viral diseases in agriculture.

Treating Grapevine Viral Diseases with RNAi

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.