Advancements of RNA Interference Technique and Its Application in Tobacco

Gene engineering technique has been developed rapidly in crop field during recent years. As an important technology of gene silencing, RNAi has the distinctive features of high efficiency and specificity. RNAi has been widely applied in the post-genome era, and plays an important role in the studies of crop gene function, resistance and quality improvement, etc. Tobacco research in China has stepped into the genome era. With the sequencing of the tobacco genome launched, RNAi as a reverse genetics technology in tobacco is becoming more and more popular. This article introduced the mechanism and characteristics of RNAi technology,focused on the application of RNAi in tobacco gene function research, disease research, insect-resistant research and tobacco quality improvement research, and then presented prospects of application foreground of RNAi technology in tobacco.