VIGS: a flexible tool for the study of functional genomics of plants under abiotic stresses

The advancements in the field of bioinformatics provide a huge amount of information regarding plant genomes and transcriptomes. However, information related the function of most of these genes is still not available. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a transient assay system widely used in plants to decipher the function of target gene(s). VIGS is a versatile tool that has proven its potential in many plant families. It was first used for dicots, but now many VIGS vectors are also available for monocots. A number of genes involved in various abiotic stresses have been functionally characterised via VIGS technology. In this review, we have described the general idea of VIGS technology, its advantages and disadvantages in comparison with other gene-silencing techniques. In addition, we have reviewed the role of VIGS in the functional study of genes associated with drought, heat, cold, oxidative and salinity stresses.