Abstract
A decade ago, the value of Nicotiana benthamiana as a tool for plant molecular biologists was beginning to be appreciated. Scientists were using it to study plant-microbe and protein-protein interactions, and it was the species of choice with which to activate plasmid-encoded viruses, screen for gene functions with virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), and transiently express genes by leaf agroinfiltration. However, little information about the species' origin, diversity, genetics, and genomics was available, and biologists were asking the question of whether N. benthamiana is a second fiddle or virtuoso. In this review, we look at the increased knowledge about the species and its applications over the past decade. Although N. benthamiana may still be the sidekick to Arabidopsis, it shines ever more brightly with realized and yet-to-be-exploited potential.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 405-426 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | Annual Review of Phytopathology |
| Volume | 56 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 25 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We would like to thank Ed Newbigin, Pauline Ladiges, Craig Wood, and Michal Lorenc for many helpful discussions. The support from a Laureate Fellowship (FL160100155) and Discovery Grant (DP170103960) to P.M.W. from the Australian Research Council and from the Kentucky Science & Engineering Foundation (KSEF-3490-RDE-019) to M.G. is gratefully acknowledged. We apologize to colleagues whose publications were not cited because of space limitations.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2018 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.
Keywords
- Nicotiana benthamiana
- VIGS
- agroinfiltration
- biofactory
- cellular localization
- polyploid genome
- virus-induced gene silencing
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Plant Science