Cationic oligopeptide-mediated delivery of dsRNA for post-transcriptional gene silencing in plant cells.

We have used cationic oligopeptide polyarginine-12mer (POA) to deliver double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), prepared in vitro, to tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) suspension cells. POA interacts electrostatically with dsRNA to form a complex. When dsRNA for the GUS or NPTII gene was delivered into cells carrying the same genes, the corresponding mRNA was degraded.