Plants respond to infection from RNA viruses by

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Plants use small interfering RNA (siRNA) to block viral replication. When a plant is infected by an RNA virus, it produces short fragments of double-stranded RNA, which are then cleaved by an enzyme called Dicer to create siRNAs. These siRNAs are then incorporated into a protein complex called RISC (RNA-induced silencing complex), which can recognize and bind to complementary sequences in the viral RNA. Binding of RISC to the viral RNA triggers its degradation, preventing replication of the virus.

Plants Respond to Infection from RNA Viruses by