Quantitative polymerase chain reaction data describing target gene silencing in the invasive common reed Phragmites australis subsp. australis using a leaf cutting bioassay

These data describe layered double hydroxide (LDH) mediated delivery of novel gene silencing agents (GSAs) in leaf tissue of the invasive common reed Phragmites australis ssp. australis. Double-stranded and hairpin RNAs were designed and synthesized to target paralogous genes coding for phytoene desaturase (PDS) and 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS). A leaf cutting bioassay was developed to rapidly screen GSAs for effective gene silencing action. Reduced expression of PDS and EPSPS were then characterized using reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), the results of which are presented herein. Related sequences describing target genes from experimental plants are available via the National Center for Biotechnology Information's GenBank database (accession IDs: PQ634570, PQ634571, PQ634572, PQ634573).