Virus-induced gene silencing-based functional characterization of genes associated with powdery mildew resistance in barley.

We successfully implemented virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) in barley (Hordeum vulgare) for the functional characterization of genes required for Mla13-mediated resistance toward the biotrophic barley pathogen Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei.

Isolation of high molecular weight DNA suitable for BAC library construction from woody perennial soft-fruit species.

We have developed a novel nuclei extraction method that allows for the extraction of high molecular weight DNA from leaves of woody perennial soft-fruit species that contain high levels of carbohydrates and polyphenolics. The method utilizes a modified buffer system including 4% (w/v) polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-10 and a combination of nylon filters and Percoll gradients to purify nuclei extracts prior to embedding in agarose plugs. The effectiveness of the method was demonstrated on leaves of red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) and blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum), two soft-fruit species that have shown to be recalcitrant to standard genomic DNA extraction methods.