Abstract：RNA interference (RNAi) has been demonstrated in plant parasitic nematodes. Genes expressed in a range of cell types are silenced when pre-parasitic juvenile nematodes take up double-stranded (ds) RNA that elicits a systemic RNAi response. It is a potentially powerful investigative tool for the genome-wide identification of gene function that should help understanding plant parasitic nematodes. Recent studies have described its application to the mechanism, route, characterization, efficacy and durability in plant parasitic nematodes. Important developments show that plant expression of a dsRNA targeting a nematode gene can successfully induce silencing in parasitizing nematodes.
