Patent ID: 8143480

Claim:
A method of inhibiting expression of a target gene in a plant comprising the steps of: expressing a single-stranded RNA in the plant, wherein the single-stranded RNA comprises a nucleic acid sequence that corresponds to a target gene and is flanked by miR390 complementary sites and wherein the single-stranded RNA or a template for transcription thereof was introduced into the plant or an ancestor of the plant, selected from a plant or plant cell from which the plant was generated, by the hand of man; and maintaining the plant under conditions in which (i) the single-stranded RNA is cleaved within at least one of said miR390 complementary sites flanking the nucleic acid sequence; (ii) the resulting RNA is transcribed to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA); and (iii) the double-stranded RNA is cleaved to form siRNA that inhibit expression of the target gene, thereby inhibiting expression of the target gene in the plant.