转不可翻译PVY^N CP基因烟草的抗病性分析

我们曾报道表达不可翻译PVY^N CP基因的转基因烟草抗病性是由RNA介导的,其抗病性类似于转录后的基因沉默(PTGS)。本研究以这类不同抗性的T0代转基因烟草植株为材料,对自交后的T1代转基因植株的遗传和抗病性进行了分析,并选取部分T1代抗病株系自交留种。对T2代RNA介导抗病性转基因植株进行了分子分析和一系列抗病性研究。结果表明,含1—2个转基因拷贝的T0代感病植株,在T1代中的Km抗性分离符合单位点插入的3：1的遗传规律;含3个或3个以上转基因拷贝的T0代中抗或高抗植株,在T1代中的Km抗性分离符合多位点插入的15：1或63：1的遗传规律。大多数T1、T2代转基因植株的抗病性与转基因拷贝数成正相关,转基因在T1、T2代植株中能够转录表达,且转基因植株之间转基因mRNA在细胞质中的积累水平与转基因植株的抗病性成负相关。转基因植株的抗病性能够在T1、T2代中遗传,且T2代转基因植株的抗病性具有以下特征：1)既抗病毒粒体又抗病毒RNA的侵染,且这种抗病性不受接种物剂量的影响;2)抗病谱较窄,只对PVY的某些株系具有高度抗病性;3)与传毒方式无关,既抗摩擦接种又抗带毒蚜虫接种;4)与植株的发育阶段没有关系。     

转不可翻译PVYN CP基因烟草的抗病性分析

我们曾报道表达不可翻译PVY~N CP基因的转基因烟草抗病性是由RNA介导的,其抗病性类似于转录后的基因沉默(PTGS)。本研究以这类不同抗性的Tn代转基因烟草植株为材料,对自交后的T1代转基因植株的遗传和抗病性进行了分析,并选取部分T_1代抗病株系自交留种。对T_2代RNA介导抗病性转基因植株进行了分子分析和一系列抗病性研究。结果表明,含1-2个转基因拷贝的T_0代感病植株,在T_1代中的Km抗性分离符合单位点插入的3∶1的遗传规律;含3个或3个以上转基因拷贝的T_0代中抗或高抗植株,在T_1代中的Km抗性分离符合多位点插入的15∶1或63∶1的遗传规律。大多数T_1、T_2代转基因植株的抗病性与转基因拷贝数成正相关,转基因在T_1、T_2代植株中能够转录表达,且转基因植株之间转基因mRNA在细胞质中的积累水平与转基因植株的抗病性成负相关。转基因植株的抗病性能够在T_1、T_2代中遗传,且T_2代转基因植株的抗病性具有以下特征:1)既抗病毒粒体又抗病毒RNA的侵染,且这种抗病性不受接种物剂量的影响;2)抗病谱较窄,只对PVY的某些株系具有高度抗病性;3)与传毒方式无关,既抗摩擦接种又抗带毒蚜虫接种;4)与植株的发育阶段没有关系。     

Plum pox potyvirus resistance associated to transgene silencing that can be stabilized after different number of plant generations

Nicotiana benthamiana plants were transformed with a fragment of the plum pox potyvirus (PPV) genome that encodes the nuclear inclusion a (NIa) and b (NIb) proteins and the N-terminus of the capsid protein (NIa–NIb–CP*). Lines transformed with this PPV genomic fragment harboring mutations in the GDD replicase-motif were also obtained. Plants of NIaΔV lines that carry a GDD to VDD mutation in the PPV transgene, were immune to PPV infection. The resistance was highly specific, since it was only partially overcome by a PPV strain different to that from which the transgene was derived, and no resistance was observed after inoculation with a second potyvirus. PPV was not able to replicate in protoplasts isolated from NIaΔV transgenic plants, indicating that the resistance was functional at the single cell level. Only a fraction of plants from lines transformed with the NIa–NIb–CP* fragment harboring a GDD to ADD mutation (NIaΔA lines), were resistant to PPV infection. This same phenotype was observed in plants expressing the wild-type construction (NIaΔ), although the progeny of some non-infected plants seemed to be completely resistant to PPV, independently of the allelic status of the parental plant. In all cases, the resistance phenotype correlated positively with low levels of transgene mRNA accumulation, suggesting that it was mainly due to a gene silencing mechanism. Our results show that, although the transgene was not silenced in all R1 plants from some individual lines, a stable silenced status could be reached in the following generations.     

Inheritance and effectiveness of two transgenes determining PVY resistance in progeny from crossing independently transformed tobacco lines

Genetic transformation of plants allows us to obtain improved genotypes enriched with the desired traits. However, if transgenic lines were to be used in breeding programs the stability of inserted transgenes is essential. In the present study, we followed the inheritance of transgenes in hybrids originated from crossing two transgenic tobacco lines resistant to Potato virus Y (PVY): MN 944 LMV with the transgene containing Lettuce mosaic virus coat protein gene (LMV CP) and AC Gayed ROKY2 with PVY replicase gene (ROKY2). Progeny populations generated by successive self-pollination were analyzed with respect to the transgene segregation ratio and resistance to Potato virus Y in tests carried out under greenhouse conditions. The presence of the virus in inoculated plants was detected by DAS-ELISA method. The results demonstrated the Mendelian fashion of inheritance of transgenes which were segregated independently and stably. As a result, we obtained T₄ generation of hybrid with both transgenes stacked and which was highly resistant to PVY.     

Resistance to Vanilla Necrosis Potyvirus in Transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana Plants Containing the Virus Coat Protein Gene

The full-length vanilla necrosis potyvirus (VNV) coat protein (CP) gene was introduced into Nicotiana benthamiana plants via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Four constructs contained either: sense (+) CP sequence, antisense (-) CP sequence, sense CP sequence with a Kozak's consensus ATG resulting in a change in the first amino acid, or antisense CP sequence with the Kozak's modification. When mechanically inoculated with a high concentration of VNV, one of the plant lines containing the full-length sense CP gene was highly resistant to virus infection. Plants from the resistant lines expressed the CP at a relatively low level compared to susceptible lines containing the same construct. Plants containing the other three constructs were either susceptible or showed delayed symptom expression.     

Characterization of the recombinant forms arising from a Potato virus X chimeric virus infection under RNA silencing pressure

Recombination is a frequent phenomenon in RNA viruses whose net result is largely influenced by selective pressures. RNA silencing in plants acts as a defense mechanism against viruses and can be used to engineer virus resistance. Here, we have investigated the influence of RNA silencing as a selective pressure to favor recombinants of PVX-HCT, a chimeric Potato virus X (PVX) vector carrying the helper-component proteinase (HC-Pro) gene from Plum pox virus (PPV). All the plants from two lines expressing a silenced HC-Pro transgene were completely resistant to PPV. However a significant proportion became infected with PVX-HCT. Analysis of viral RNAs accumulating in silenced plants revealed that PVX-HCT escaped silencing-based resistance by removal of the HC-Pro sequences that represented preferential targets for transgene-promoted silencing. The virus vector also tended to lose the HC-Pro insert when infecting transgenic plants containing a nonsilenced HC-Pro transgene or wild-type (wt) Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Nevertheless, loss of HC-Pro sequences was faster in nonsilenced transgenic plants than in wt plants, suggesting the transgene plays a role in promoting a higher selective pressure in favor of recombinant virus versions. These results indicate that the outcome of recombination processes depends on the strength of selection pressures applied to the virus.     

The efficiency of RNA interference for conferring stable resistance to plum pox virus

Plum transformed with an intron hairpin RNA CP (ihpRNA-CP) was resistant to plum pox virus (PPV) infection through the specific process of RNA silencing involving both small interfering-RNA (siRNA) and a methylated virus transgene. Silencing specifically targeted the PPV genome and led to the degradation of viral RNA in the model plant species Nicotiana benthamiana and the natural Prunus domestica host. Plums inoculated with the five major PPV strains, three widespread PPV strains (D, M, and Rec), and the atypical EA strain did not allow systemic spread of PPV in greenhouse-grown transgenic ihRNA-CP plum over multiple cycles of vegetative growth and cold-induced dormancy. PPV ihRNA-CP N. benthamiana displayed an immunity reaction and also allowed for the testing of PPV-C, a strain that was unable to infect P. domestica. This stable resistance demonstrated in plum based on the accumulation of siRNA can prevent PPV infection and can also act as a “curative” when PPV is inoculated through graft inoculation, through a recovery reaction. Regardless PPV strain variability based on geography, host species, epidemiology and serotypes of the CP protein and substitutions of nucleotides at the NH₂-terminus of CP of the major five PPV strains tested, we show that the use of a PPV-CP intron hairpin (ihp) RNA is an effective strategy to specifically target the PPV genome. We provide methods and tools that demonstrate a reliable path towards developing PPV resistance suitable for protecting stone fruit orchards.     

Development of marker-free transgenic lettuce resistant to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mirafiori lettuce big</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">vein virus</Emphasis>

Lettuce big-vein disease caused by Mirafiori lettuce big-vein virus (MLBVV) is found in major lettuce production areas worldwide, but highly resistant cultivars have not yet been developed. To produce MLBVV-resistant marker-free transgenic lettuce that would have a transgene with a promoter and terminator of lettuce origin, we constructed a two T-DNA binary vector, in which the first T-DNA contained the selectable marker gene neomycin phosphotransferase II, and the second T-DNA contained the lettuce ubiquitin gene promoter and terminator and inverted repeats of the coat protein (CP) gene of MLBVV. This vector was introduced into lettuce cultivars ‘Watson’ and ‘Fuyuhikari’ by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Regenerated plants (T₀ generation) that were CP gene-positive by PCR analysis were self-pollinated, and 312 T₁ lines were analyzed for resistance to MLBVV. Virus-negative plants were checked for the CP gene and the marker gene, and nine lines were obtained which were marker-free and resistant to MLBVV. Southern blot analysis showed that three of the nine lines had two copies of the CP gene, whereas six lines had a single copy and were used for further analysis. Small interfering RNAs, which are indicative of RNA silencing, were detected in all six lines. MLBVV infection was inhibited in all six lines in resistance tests performed in a growth chamber and a greenhouse, resulting in a high degree of resistance to lettuce big-vein disease. Transgenic lettuce lines produced in this study could be used as resistant cultivars or parental lines for breeding.     

Production of Bean yellow mosaic virus resistant subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) plants by transformation with the virus coat protein gene

Transgenic lines of subterranean clover were constructed that contained three different Bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) coat protein (CP) gene constructs; full-length CP, the core region of the CP, and full-length CP plus the 3′ untranslated region of the viral genome. Transgenic plants containing the full-length and core CP gene constructs showed high and moderate levels of BYMV resistance. Resistance was measured as a lack or amelioration of viral disease symptoms, which was correlated with a reduction in virus levels and yield loss. A range of different resistance phenotypes was observed. They included reduced infection rates, delay and reduction in local lesion development, and delay and reduction in severity of systemic symptom development. Resistance levels were not correlated with transgene mRNA levels and no transgene-encoded protein was detected in any of the transgenic lines. This is the first example of genetically engineered virus resistance in a clover.     

High frequency induction of RNA-mediated resistance against Cucumber mosaic virus using inverted repeat constructs

The application of RNA-mediated resistance against Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) by using single transgene constructs generally results in only a small portion of resistant individuals. Inverted repeat constructs encoding self-complementary double-stranded RNA have been demonstrated a potential way to obtain RNA-mediated resistance at high efficiency. To test this observation as a possible method for high frequency induction of CMV resistance, Nicotiana benthamiana plants were transformed with transgenes designed to produce double strand RNA molecules of CMV RNA 2 or coat protein (CP) gene sequences. Seventy-five percent of the tested R₀ plants transformed with an RNA 2-derived inverted repeat construct (1534 nt CMV sequence) showed extreme resistance to CMV, while a lower percentage of resistance (30%) was observed in R₀ lines transformed with a similar construct of a shorter viral RNA 2 sequence (490 nt). The resistance level conferred by CP sequences was also efficient by using a dsRNA construct, reaching a level of 50%. Self-pollinated (S₁) progenies obtained from most resistant R₀ plants all showed resistance levels of 100%, perfectly correlating with the expression of transgenic siRNAs. The results indicate that the use of inverted repeat viral transgenes is a highly efficient approach to obtain CMV resistant transgenic plants. Consequently, only a handful of transgenic plants will have to be generated using such constructs for successful resistance, which enables the implementation of this protocol for crops that are difficult to transform, such as ornamental plants in which CMV is an important pathogen.     

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.     

Expression of Amino-Terminal Portions or Full-Length Viral Replicase Genes in Transgenic Plants Confers Resistance to Potato Virus X Infection

The first open reading frame (ORF 1) of potato virus X (PVX) encodes a putative replicase gene. Transgenic tobacco lines expressing ORF 1 are resistant to PVX infection when inoculated with either PVX or PVX RNA. Analyses of lines containing various portions of the ORF 1 gene demonstrated that resistance is conferred to plants by expressing approximately the first half of the ORF 1 gene. One line expressing the untranslated leader and first 674 codons of ORF 1 is highly resistant to PVX infection. Conversely, lines expressing either approximately the third or fourth quarter of the ORF 1 gene, which contain the conserved nucleotide triphosphate (NTP) binding motif and Gly-Asp-Asp (GDD) motif, respectively, are not protected from PVX infection. In the resistant full-length and amino-terminal lines, lower numbers of local lesions were observed, and the virus accumulation in the inoculated and upper leaves was reduced when compared with the nontransformed control. When the performance of the most resistant ORF 1 line was compared with the most resistant coat protein (CP) line in a resistance test, the best ORF 1 line was more resistant to PVX infection than the best transgenic line expressing the PVX CP gene. These findings define a promising new approach for controlling plant viral infection.