REVIEW: Biotechnological Approaches to Plant Antiviral Resistance: CRISPR-Cas or RNA Interference?

---

Natalia O. Kalinina^1,2,a*, Nadezhda A. Spechenkova¹ and Michael E. Taliansky¹

¹Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia

²Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: January 21, 2025; Revised: February 27, 2025; Accepted: February 28, 2025

---

Established genome editing technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas and RNA interference (RNAi), have significantly advanced research studies in nearly all fields of life sciences, including biotechnology and medicine, and have become increasingly in demand in plant biology. In the review, we present the main principles of the CRISPR-Cas and RNAi technologies and their application in model plants and crops for the control of viral diseases. The review explores the antiviral effects they provide, including direct suppression of genomes of DNA- and RNA-containing viruses and inhibition of activity of host genes that increase plant susceptibility to viruses. We also provide a detailed comparison of the effectiveness of CRISPR-Cas and RNAi methods in plant protection, as well as discuss their advantages and disadvantages, factors limiting their application in practice, and possible approaches to overcome such limitations.

---

KEY WORDS: plant viruses, RNA interference, CRISPR-Cas, dsRNA, plant antiviral resistance

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297925600139

Publisher’s Note. Pleiades Publishing remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

---