In silico prediction and designing of potential siRNA to control cotton whitefly Bemisia tabaci Gennadius vectored cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV)

Abstract

Molecules or agents that silence a gene in a specific manner can be used as a powerful research tool, primarily in the area of functional genomics. siRNA is one of the important and latest addition in this repertoire of sequence specific gene silencing. The experimental result of gene silencing using siRNA highly depends on the sequence of siRNA being chosen. Here, we identified potential siRNAs against different strains of cotton leaf curl virus (CLCV), a severe threat to cotton production and productivity. Out of computationally identified 54 putative siRNAs, 27 qualified as highly potential siRNAs for targeted gene silencing.