RT info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis
T1 Spray-Induced Gene Silencing: an innovative biotechnological tool for mitigating tree diseases caused by fungal and oomycete pathogens
A1 Bocos Asenjo, Irene Teresa
A2 Universidad de Valladolid. Escuela de Doctorado
K1 Fitopatología
K1 Forest pathology
K1 Patología forestal
K1 RNA interference
K1 Gene silencing
K1 Silenciamiento génico
K1 Tree diseases
K1 Enfermedades de árboles
K1 31 Ciencias Agrarias
AB Forest diseases seriously affect natural ecosystems and plantations, causing significant economic and ecological losses. Within the Mediterranean region, some forestry species are seriously threatened by pathogenic fungi and oomycetes. Chemical control of plant pathogens has been demonstrated to have a notable ecological impact, often resulting in incomplete efficacy in disease management, and may induce the development of resistance among certain pathogens. Furthermore, the utilization of such products is prohibited within forest environments, so although some preventive measures are used, there are currently no effective methods of controlling many forest diseases. Consequently, there is a current emphasis on exploring new sustainable alternatives in plant pathology. One such alternative is spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS), which is a plant protection method based on the ability of eukaryotic organisms to uptake small RNAs from the environment that induce silencing of genes through RNA interference (RNAi). This strategy offers an environmentally friendly and sustainable option for disease control compared to chemical methods. Our research focuses on investigating the potential of SIGS in treating forest diseases, particularly those caused by Fusarium circinatum and Phytophthora cinnamomi. Double stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) have been designed to target essential genes involved in critical pathways of these pathogens, such as vesicle trafficking, transduction of the signal, cell wall biogenesis and RNAi machinery. Gene silencing through these dsRNAs provided significant protection against both pathogens across different host plants and experimental conditions. The results show that SIGS effectively reduced the virulence of F. circinatum and P. cinnamomi, representing a promising step toward its implementation in forest pathology, a field where its potential remains largely unexplored.
YR 2026
FD 2026
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/84055
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/84055
LA eng
NO Escuela de Doctorado
DS UVaDOC
RD 08-ago-2026