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 <i>Phragmites australis</i> ssp. <i>australis</i>. 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 <i>PDS</i> and <i>EPSPS</i> 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).