Viral Gene Tools Fall Short in Rice, Study Finds
18 December 2025, Brazil: A new international study has revealed that two widely used virus-based tools for studying gene function are ineffective in rice, highlighting the crop’s unique biological defences and the need for alternative research approaches.
The joint research, conducted by scientists from Rothamsted Research in the UK and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, tested two commonly used viral vectors—barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) and foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV)—to assess whether they could temporarily switch genes on or off in rice (Oryza sativa). These techniques, known as virus-enabled reverse genetics (VERG), are widely applied in plant research to study gene function without creating permanent genetic modifications.
At Rothamsted, the same methods have been successfully used in crops such as wheat and in weeds like blackgrass, where gene silencing leads to visible changes such as loss of chlorophyll or the expression of fluorescent proteins. However, when applied to rice, the results were markedly different. Despite extensive optimisation and testing across six rice cultivars, the researchers observed no detectable changes in gene expression.
“Although we don’t yet know why these methods didn’t work, it’s clear that they don’t,” said Guilherme Turra, lead author of the study and a PhD researcher at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. “Instead of speculating endlessly, we focused on rigorously testing established protocols across multiple rice varieties. Using strong experimental design and clear visual markers, we can be confident that these tools simply fail to deliver in rice.”
Senior author Dr Dana MacGregor of Rothamsted Research emphasised the importance of accepting data that challenge assumptions. “As scientists, we must trust robust evidence, even when it contradicts our expectations,” she said. “We assumed that what works in wheat would also work in rice, but the data clearly show otherwise. By publishing these findings, we hope to save other researchers time and resources.”
The peer-reviewed study, published in Annals of Applied Biology, underlines the species-specific nature of virus-enabled gene tools and reinforces the value of publishing negative results. The researchers hope their work will discourage repeated unsuccessful experiments and stimulate the development of viral systems specifically tailored to rice.
The research was supported by the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Research Support Foundation of Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS), and Brazil’s CAPES programme.
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