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Protection Against Potyvirus Infection in Transgenic Plants: Evidence for Broad Spectrum Resistance

Bio/Technology volume 7, pages 1257–1262 (1989)Cite this article

Abstract

Expression in transgenic plants of the coat protein (CP) gene from a virus pathogenic to that plant confers protection to the plant against this or closely related viruses. To expand our understanding of the breadth of protection conferred by CP genes, transgenic tobacco plants were produced that express a gene encoding the CP of the potyvirus soybean mosaic virus (SMV), a non-pathogen on tobacco. Plants accumulating SMV CP are resistant to infection by two serologically unrelated potyviruses that are pathogens of tobacco, potato virus Y and tobacco etch virus. The degree of heterologous protection is important because broad, multivalent, resistance would enable plants to be protected against many potyviruses by using a limited number of different CP genes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63130

    David M. Stark & Roger N. Beachy

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  1. David M. Stark
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  2. Roger N. Beachy
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Stark, D., Beachy, R. Protection Against Potyvirus Infection in Transgenic Plants: Evidence for Broad Spectrum Resistance. Nat Biotechnol 7, 1257–1262 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1289-1257

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