Meloidegyne incognitia infects the roots of tobacco plants and causes reduction in yield.
To protect the tobacco plant from this infection, Agrobacterium is used as vector.
Using Agrobacterium, nematode-specific genes are introduced into the host plant. The introduction of DNA is such that it produces both sense and anti-sense RNA in the host cells. The two RNA’s being complimentary to each other form a double stranded (dsRNA) that silences the specific mRNA of the nematode.
Thus the parasite, Meloidogyne incognitia cannot survive in the transgenic host expressing specific interfering RNA. Therefore, the transgenic plant is protected from parasite.
This process of mRNA silencing is called RNA interference which develops resistance in tobacco against Meloidogyne incognita (RNAi)
