Nanoenabled Delivery of RNA Molecules for Prolonged Antiviral Protection in Crop Plants: A Review

Exogenous application of RNA molecules, such as siRNA or dsRNA, for RNAi induction to control plant virus infections has the potential to be an effective and sustainable alternative to transgenic plants. High throughput sequencing analysis can help to maximize the outcome of this technique by guiding the identification of genomic regions that could be ideal as dsRNA/hpRNA/siRNA templates for foliar application. Unfortunately, the instability of topically applied RNA molecules provides only short-term protection against virus infection (∼5 days). Innovative approaches such as the use of nanomaterials as carriers of RNA molecules could not only help overcome this shortcoming but also allow a more sustained and targeted release of the molecules. However, limited knowledge is available on the use of nanomaterials for exogenous application of RNA molecules to achieve prolonged antiviral protection. This review discusses the technique of exogenous application of viral dsRNA for virus control and the potential use of high throughput sequencing technology for designing optimally active RNA molecules. Furthermore, a comprehensive overview of potential nanomaterials that could be ideal for RNAi-mediated virus control is provided with emphasis on the need to develop smart and responsive engineered nanomaterials for the same purpose.