pssRNAit: a web server for designing highly effective and specific plant RNAi siRNAs with genome-wide off-target gene assessment. Nicotiana Benthamiana

An innovative web server pssRNAit (plant specific small non-coding RNAi tool) to design a pool of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) for highly effective, specific and non-toxic gene silencing in plants were developed. To validate the effectiveness and identify the predicted off-target genes for phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene at genome wide scale, RNA seq information was developed in Virus induced gene silencing (VIGS) Nicotiana benthamiana plants.