Broad-Spectrum Resistance to Different Geographic Strains of Papaya ringspot virus in Coat Protein Gene Transgenic Papaya

Resistance to Passion fruit woodiness virus in Transgenic Passionflower Expressing the Virus Coat Protein Gene

We report the use of the coat protein (CP) gene from Passion fruit woodiness virus (PWV) to produce resistant transgenic plants of yellow passion fruit. A full-length CP gene from a severe PWV isolate from the state of São Paulo, Brazil (PWV-SP) was cloned into pCAMBIA 2300 binary vector, which was further introduced into Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA 105. Leaf disks were used as explants for transformation assays, e.g., 2,700 and 2,730 disks excised from plants from the Brazilian cultivars IAC-275 and IAC-277, respectively. In vitro selection was performed in kanamycin. After transferring to the elongation medium, 119 and 109 plantlets of IAC-275 and IAC-277, respectively, were recovered. Integration of the PWV CP gene was confirmed in seven of eight plants evaluated by Southern blot analysis, showing different numbers of insertional events for the CP gene. Three transgenic plants (T3, T4, and T7) expressed the expected transcript, but the 32 kDa PWV CP was detected by Western blot in only two plants (T3 and T4). The results of three successive mechanical inoculations against the transgenic plants using three PWV isolates showed that the primary transformant T2 of IAC-277 was immune to all isolates.

Field Resistance of Coat Protein Transgenic Papaya to Papaya ringspot virus in Jamaica

Transgenic papayas (Carica papaya) containing translatable coat protein (CP_T) or nontranslatable coat protein (CP_NT) gene constructs were evaluated over two generations for field resistance to Papaya ringspot virus in a commercial papaya growing area in Jamaica. Reactions of R₀ CP_T transgenic lines included no symptoms and mild or severe leaf and fruit symptoms. All three reactions were observed in one line and among different lines. Trees of most CP_NT lines exhibited severe symptoms of infection, and some also showed mild symptoms. R₁ offspring showed reactions previously observed with parental R₀ trees; however, reactions not previously observed or a lower incidence of the reaction were also obtained. The transgenic lines appear to possess virus disease resistance that can be manipulated in subsequent generations for the development of a product with acceptable commercial performance.

Plant disease: a threat to global food security

A vast number of plant pathogens from viroids of a few hundred nucleotides to higher plants cause diseases in our crops. Their effects range from mild symptoms to catastrophes in which large areas planted to food crops are destroyed. Catastrophic plant disease exacerbates the current deficit of food supply in which at least 800 million people are inadequately fed. Plant pathogens are difficult to control because their populations are variable in time, space, and genotype. Most insidiously, they evolve, often overcoming the resistance that may have been the hard-won achievement of the plant breeder. In order to combat the losses they cause, it is necessary to define the problem and seek remedies. At the biological level, the requirements are for the speedy and accurate identification of the causal organism, accurate estimates of the severity of disease and its effect on yield, and identification of its virulence mechanisms. Disease may then be minimized by the reduction of the pathogen's inoculum, inhibition of its virulence mechanisms, and promotion of genetic diversity in the crop. Conventional plant breeding for resistance has an important role to play that can now be facilitated by marker-assisted selection. There is also a role for transgenic modification with genes that confer resistance. At the political level, there is a need to acknowledge that plant diseases threaten our food supplies and to devote adequate resources to their control.

RNA Silencing of the Introduced Coat Protein Gene of Turnip mosaic virus Confers Broad-Spectrum Resistance in Transgenic Arabidopsis

ABSTRACT The coat protein (CP) gene derived from Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) isolate JO was introduced into Arabidopsis thaliana and the resulting transgenic progenies were analyzed for resistance to TuMV. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants with no detectable transcripts of the introduced CP gene exhibited complete resistance to TuMV. There was no significant correlation between the resistance and the copy number of the transgene. Instead, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were detected in these resistant plants, indicating that the resistance is attributed to RNA silencing. The RNA-mediated resistance was not only inherited over successive generations but also effective against 17 worldwide TuMV isolates with different pathogenicity. Comparative analysis of the CP genes among the 17 TuMV isolates revealed that the 380-nt in the 3' region is highly conserved, suggesting the importance of the 3' conserved region for broad-spectrum resistance. These results indicate that introduction of the TuMV-CP gene into the target Brassicaceae plants followed by selecting transformants that show RNA silencing for the transgenes can be an effective and reliable strategy for developing crucifer crops with a broad spectrum of resistance to TuMV.

Field Evaluation of Transgenic Papaya Lines Carrying the Coat Protein Gene of Papaya ringspot virus in Taiwan

Four transgenic papaya lines expressing the coat protein (CP) gene of Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) were evaluated under field conditions for their reaction to PRSV infection and fruit production in 1996 to 1999. Plants were exposed to natural virus inoculation by aphids in two adjacent fields in four different plantings at the same sites. None of the transgenic lines showed severe symptoms of PRSV whereas control nontransgenic plants were 100% severely infected 3 to 5 months after planting. In the first and second trials, 20 to 30% of the transgenic plants showed mild symptoms consisting of confined mottling or chlorotic spots on leaves. The number of transgenic plants with mild symptoms fluctuated according to the season and weather conditions, with a tendency to increase in the winter or rainy season and decrease in the summer. Also, the incidence of the mild symptoms in the third trial increased significantly due to infection by root rot fungi during the rainy season. Interestingly, there was no apparent adverse effect on fruit yield and quality in transgenic plants with mild symptoms. In the first and second experiments, transgenic lines yielded 10.8 to 11.6 and 54.3 to 56.7 times more marketable fruit, respectively, than controls. All transgenic plants produced fruit of marketable quality with no ringspots or distortion.

Development of Papaya Breeding Lines with Transgenic Resistance to Papaya ringspot virus

Papaya (Carica papaya) was transformed via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation with four constructs containing either the unmodified or modified coat protein (CP) gene of Florida isolate H1K of Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV). The CP genes were in the sense orientation (S-CP), antisense orientation (AS-CP), sense orientation with a frame-shift mutation (FS-CP), or sense orientation mutated with three-in-frame stop codons (SC-CP). In all, 256 putative transgenic lines with the CP constructs were inoculated mechanically with PRSV H1K. None of the lines was immune to PRSV; however, highly resistant lines were found in each CP transgene group. For breeding purposes, 21 PRSV-resistant lines representing the four transgene constructs were selected and crossed with six papaya genotypes. The lines from the FS-CP and SC-CP transgene groups were highly fertile, but those from the S-CP and AS-CP transgene groups were practically infertile. Plants derived from 54 crosses and representing 17 transgenic lines were planted in the field. After 1 year in the field, 293 of the 1,258 the plants (23.3%) became naturally infected with PRSV; whereas, 29 of 30 of the nontransgenic control plants (96.7%) became infected. The incidence of PRSV infection varied in the R₁ progeny depending on both the transgenic line and the nontransgenic parent.