Transformed tomato plants express a satellite RNA of cucumber mosaic virus and produce lethal necrosis upon infection with viral RNA.

Tomato plants transformed with a single copy of a tomato necrosis causing satellite RNA of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) express the satellite sequence, but the plants show no disease symptoms and have a normal appearance. Upon challenge infection of the F1 progeny with a CMV strain free of any detectable encapsidated satellite the plants accumulated single and double-stranded forms of satellite RNA and developed lethal necrosis.     

Cucumber mosaic virus coat protein-mediated protection

Transgenic tobacco plants (CP +) that express the coat protein gene of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)-Y strain were highly protected from infection with either CMV virions or CMV RNA, while transgenic protoplasts were also protected from infection with CMV virions but not with CMV RNA. CP + plants showed greater susceptibility to infection with satellite RNA-free CMV-Y than CMV-Y containing satellite RNA. At temperatures above 30°C, CP + plants did not or poorly resist infection with CMV. Elevated temperature affected the accumulation of CP rather than its mRNA, suggesting that CP molecules are mainly involved in virus resistance in CP + plants.     

Plant resistance to fungal diseases induced by the infection of cucumber mosaic virus attenuated by satellite RNA

Biological control agents (BCAs) composed of attenuated cucumber mosaic (CMV) and its satellite RNA for controlling CMV diseases were found to induce plant resistance to a number of fungal diseases. Tests conducted in both the field and greenhouse showed evident protective effects against fungal infections by the BCAs. Artificial inoculation with a fungal spore suspension using BCA-treated plants, satellite transgenic plants and plants infected with CMV alone indicated that the resistance to fungi was induced by the virus infection, not by the presence of satellite RNA.     

The potential use of a viral coat protein gene as a transgene screening marker and multiple virus resistance of pepper plants coexpressing coat proteins of cucumber mosaic virus and tomato mosaic virus

Transgenic pepper plants coexpressing coat proteins (CPs) of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV-Kor) and tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) were produced by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. To facilitate selection for positive transformants in transgenic peppers carrying an L gene, we developed a simple and effective screening procedure using hypersensitive response upon ToMV challenge inoculation. In this procedure, positive transformants could be clearly differentiated from the nontransformed plants. Transgenic pepper plants expressing the CP genes of both viruses were tested for resistance against CMV-Kor and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMV). In most transgenic plants, viral propagation was substantially retarded when compared to the nontransgenic plants. These experiments demonstrate that our transgenic pepper plants might be a useful marker system for the transgene screening and useful for classical breeding programs of developing virus resistant hot pepper plants.     

High resistance to cucumber mosaic virus conferred by satellite RNA and coat protein in transgenic commercial tobacco cultivar G-140.

A chimeric vector was constructed to express cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) satellite (Sat) RNA and coat protein (CP). Transgenic lines of tobacco cultivar G-140 expressing CP and Sat-RNA were obtained; these lines had high resistance to CMV. Fifty to 70% of the transgenic plants were symptomless 90 days after inoculation with 25-50 micrograms/ml of CMV. Resistance was about twice that conferred by the Sat-RNA or the CP gene alone in transformed plants.     

表达黄瓜花叶病毒外壳蛋白的转基因番茄抗黄瓜花叶病毒侵染

通过土壤农杆菌(Agrobacterium tumefaciens)介导将黄瓜花叶病毒外壳蛋白(CMV CP)的cDNA成功地引入番茄(Lycopersicon esculentum)植株中,并得到转基因植株。用强致病力CMV株系接种后,表达CMV外壳蛋白的转基因植株表现出对CMV侵染的抗性。转基因植株RI代的抗性基因以接近3:1比例分离。对R_1代接种CMV后,表达CMV CP的植株病症减轻,发病率、病情指数及病毒积累量明显低于对照。病症出现推迟1个多月。     

Development of CMV-and TMV-resistant chili pepper: field perfermance and biosafety assessment

Both cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) coat protein (CP) genes have been transferred to chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum var. Longunt) cultivar 8212 by a modified procedure of Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation using hypocotyl as the explant. PCR analysis revealed the presence of both CMV and TMV CP genes in at least 11 primary transformants out of 49 kanamycin-resistant chili pepper plants. Ten T1 lines from five independent transformation events were identified as putative homozygous transgenic lines based on the rooting assay of their T2 seedlings on the kanamycin-containing media. Integration and expression of CMV CP and TMV CP transgenes in one of the homozygous line, 16-13, were confirmed bySouthern blot, RT-PCR and western blot analyses. Line 16-13 was highly resistant to infection of homologous CMV and TMV strains in greenhouse conditions when successively challenged with CMV and TMV or challenged with TMV alone.Futhermore, field trials on T2, T3 and T4 progenies of Line 16-13 were performed on scales of 123, 300 and 10,000 plants, respectively, in consecutive years 1996, 1997 and 1998 with the permission of the Chinese government authority. The transgenic plants displayed delayed symptom development and significantly milder disease severity in field conditions when compared to untransformed chili pepper plants, resulting in 47 and 110% increase in pepper fruit yield in surveys conducted in 1997 and 1998 trials, respectively. Finally, quality analysis and biosafety assesment were performed on transgenic chili pepper fruit concurrently with the control fruit, and demonstrated that the transgenic chili pepper fruit is substantially equivalent to the non-transgenic pepper in terms of the quality and biosafety when consumed as a food additive.     

Plant virus satellite RNAs and their role in engineering resistance to virus diseases

The mechanism of satellite RNA (Sat-RNA) mediated attenuation of virus disease was suggested to be the result of competition between satellite RNAs and their helper viral RNAs for replication. Subcellular distribution of viral coat protein in cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) infected leaf tissues shows that the presence of Sat-RNAs interferes with the movement of CMV coat protein into chloroplants. As a strategy for controlling virus diseases, the expression of Sat-RNAs in transgenic plants confers some extent of resistance that may not be strong enough to protect the plants from natural virus infections. Transgenic plants expressing both the Sat-RNA and the coat protein of CMV exhibit enhanced resistance to the virus.     

Resistance of tomato infected with cucumber mosaic virus satellite RNA to potato spindle tuber viroid

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cvs Rutgers and Lichun) plants were firstly pre-inoculated either with a cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) isolate containing satellite RNA (CMV-S52) or with a CMV isolate without satellite RNA, and then challenged 14 days later with a severe strain of potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd). Also, tomato plants transformed with CMV satellite cDNA and non-transgenic control plants were directly inoculated with PSTVd. Protection effects were assessed by the observation of symptoms and by assay of PSTVd accumulation in tomato plants using return polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining. The results indicated that the satellite-transgenic plants and plants pre-inoculated with CMV-S52 showed much milder symptoms of PSTVd infection than the respective control plants. The concentration of PSTVd RNA in the satellite-transgenic plants and CMV-S52 pre-inoculated plants was reduced to about 0.02–0.03 of the controls. PSTVd infection did not increase the amount of satellite ds-RNA in plants. It is concluded that the plant resistance to PSTVd is induced by the presence of satellite RNA rather than the CMV infection. It is suggested that as there is considerable sequence similarity between satellite RNA and PSTVd, base pairings may be a cause of reduction of both symptoms and the accumulation of PSTVd.     

Resistance of tomato infected with cucumber mosaic virus satellite RNA to potato spindle tuber viroid

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cvs Rutgers and Lichun) plants were firstly pre-inoculated either with a cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) isolate containing satellite RNA (CMV-S52) or with a CMV isolate without satellite RNA, and then challenged 14 days later with a severe strain of potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd). Also, tomato plants transformed with CMV satellite cDNA and non-transgenic control plants were directly inoculated with PSTVd. Protection effects were assessed by the observation of symptoms and by assay of PSTVd accumulation in tomato plants using return polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining. The results indicated that the satellite-transgenic plants and plants pre-inoculated with CMV-S52 showed much milder symptoms of PSTVd infection than the respective control plants. The concentration of PSTVd RNA in the satellite-transgenic plants and CMV-S52 pre-inoculated plants was reduced to about 0.02-0.03 of the controls. PSTVd infection did not increase the amount of satellite ds-RNA in plants. It is concluded that the plant resistance to PSTVd is induced by the presence of satellite RNA rather than the CMV infection. It is suggested that as there is considerable sequence similarity between satellite RNA and PSTVd, base pairings may be a cause of reduction of both symptoms and the accumulation of PSTVd.     

Rapid production and field testing of homozygous transgenic tobacco lines with virus resistance conferred by expression of satellite RNA and coat protein of cucumber mosaic virus

A procedure for the fast production of homozygotic transgenic plants was developed. Leaf discs of haploid tobacco plants from anther cultures were transformed with a chimaeric vector containing coat protein (CP) and satellite RNA (Sat-RNA) genes from cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). One-hundred-and-twelve Kanamycin-resistant transformed haploid plants were subjected to selection based on the expression of both CP and Sat-RNA. Eighty-nine transgenic plants expressing both genes were selected and tested for their resistance to CMV by inoculation with high concentration of CMV (200 g ml^–1). Only five plants showed no symptoms of viral infection 30 days after inoculation. These plants were then diploidized by colchicine treatment. Three homozygous diploid lines with high levels of resistance to CMV were obtained after only one generation. The three transgenic lines were further tested under field conditions. The results showed that the progenies of these transgenic lines were homozygous and were highly resistant to CMV under natural field infection and manual inoculation conditions.     

Satellite RNA for the control of plant diseases caused by cucumber mosaic virus

Two virus-protecting strains, S₅₁ and S₅₂, were obtained for the control of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) by local lesion selection after adding satellite RNA to the RNA genome of CMV. Both were found to protect pepper plants against a virulent strain of CMV under greenhouse and field conditions. Results from 14 localities in China indicated that the use of protective strains decreased the disease index by 21.6% to 82.8% and increased fruit yields by 10.8% to 55.6%. The host reactions and safety of S₅₁ and S₅₂ were tested, and the effects of the strains on plant growth were also investigated. Possible mechanisms of control of CMV-caused plant diseases by mild strains are discussed.     

Establishing RNA virus resistance in plants by harnessing CRISPR immune system

Recently, CRISPR‐Cas (clustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats–CRISPR‐associated proteins) system has been used to produce plants resistant to DNA virus infections. However, there is no RNA virus control method in plants that uses CRISPR‐Cas system to target the viral genome directly. Here, we reprogrammed the CRISPR‐Cas9 system from Francisella novicida to confer molecular immunity against RNA viruses in Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis plants. Plants expressing FnCas9 and sgRNA specific for the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) or tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) exhibited significantly attenuated virus infection symptoms and reduced viral RNA accumulation. Furthermore, in the transgenic virus‐targeting plants, the resistance was inheritable and the progenies showed significantly less virus accumulation. These data reveal that the CRISPR/Cas9 system can be used to produce plant that stable resistant to RNA viruses, thereby broadening the use of such technology for virus control in agricultural field.     

A Novel Satellite RNA of Cucumber Mosaic Virus Induces Unique Line-pattern Mosaic Symptoms in Tobacco

The CMV(YW) isolate of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) induced unique line‐pattern mosaic symptoms in systemically infected leaves of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Ky57). By northern hybridization analysis using cDNA to CMV(Y) satellite RNA as a probe, it was confirmed that CMV(YW) contained a satellite RNA. which was designated sat‐YW RNA; this was 388 nucleotides in length and did not have either a conserved domain that induces necrosis in tomato or chlorosis in tobacco. CMV(YW) free of sat‐YW RNA. which was isolated by the single lesion isolation method using Chenopodium amaranticolor, did not induce the unique line‐pattern mosaic symptom. Furthermore, the sat‐YW RNA‐mediated line‐pattern mosaic symptom was also induced by in vitro transcribed infectious sat‐YW RNA in tobaccos infected with either CMV(YW) or CMV(Y) genomic RNA. These results clearly demonstrated that sat‐YW RNA induces the unique line‐pattern mosaic symptom on CMV‐infected tobaccos.     

Transgenic sweet pepper plants fromAgrobacterium mediated transformation

Fertile transgenic sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum var. grossum) plants were regenerated at relatively high rate from various explants that were cocultivated withAgrobacterium tumefaciens strain GV3111-SE harbouring a plasmid that contains the cucumber mosaic virus coat protein (CMV-CP) gene. The rate of plant regeneration was found to depend on the types of explants cultured and the media used. Young leaves were most effective for bud induction and subsequent plant elongation while hypocotyls were the most inefficient. Southern analysis of DNA isolated from putative transgenic plants revealed that 3 out of 5 R₁ plant lines reacted positively with the CMV-CP gene. Western blot analysis of CMV-CP containing R₁ plants showed that two of them accumulated significant levels of the foreign gene product while the other two expressed it only, to low levels. Thus, like many other dicotyledonous plant species, sweet pepper can be transformed byA. tumefaciens and regenerated into healthy, fertile plants that express foreign genes.Abbreviations ABA abscisic acid - BA 6-benzyladenine - carb carbenicillin - CMV cucumber mosaic virus - CTAB cetyltriethylammonium bromide - GA gibberellic acid - GUS -glucuronidase - IgG immunoglobulin G - kan kanamycin - LB Luria-Bertani - MS Murashige and Skoog - NAA naphthalene acetic acid - OD optical density - SDS-PAGE sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - spe spectinomycin     

QTLs involved in the restriction of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) long-distance movement in pepper

Partial restriction of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) long-distance movement originating from the Capsicum annuum inbred line ’Vania’ was assessed in a doubled-haploid progeny using two screening methods: the first allowed one to assess the resistance of adult plants decapitated above the fourth leaf and inoculated on the third leaf using a common CMV strain, and the second allowed one to assess CMV resistance to long-distance movement on seedlings inoculated using an atypical CMV strain. For both resistance tests, the behavior of the F₁ hybrid between ’Vania’ and the susceptible line ’H3’ indicated that partial resistance is inherited as a dominant trait. Phenotypic data from the two screening methods were correlated but the one performed on seedlings was much more severe. A subset of 184 molecular markers well-distributed over the pepper genome was selected for QTL mapping using the composite interval mapping (CIM) method. A total of seven genomic regions, including one major effect and several minor effect QTLs, were shown to be associated with partial restriction of CMV long-distance movement. These results are compared with those already obtained in pepper and also in other solanaceous crops, potato and tomato. Received: 22 March 2001 / Accepted: 9 July 2001