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Home >> Plant Biotechnology and Genomics >> Genetically Modified-GM Crops and Floricultural Plants >> Gene for Nucleocapsid -N Protein from tomato spotted willt Virus


Gene for nucleocapsid* (N) protein from tomato spotted willt virus (TSWV)

In earlier reports of resistance against viruses in transgenic plants, a number of positive (+) strand RNA viruses were involved. No report of resistance against any negative (-) strand virus was available. An important negative (-) strand virus is tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), which causes considerable yield losses in crops like tomato, tobacco, lettuce, ground nut, pepper and in ornamentals like Impatiens,

Ageratum and Chrysanthemum. In this virus, genomic RNA is tightly associated with nucleocapsid (N) protein. This protein helps in (i) wrapping of viral RNA and also in (ii) regulation of transcription to replication switch during infection cycle.

For producing transgenic tobacco plants, N gene was associated with CaMV35S promoter and a leader sequence (to enhance expression). The transgenic plants showed expression of N-gene and also significant resistance to TSWV.

A correlation was also observed between the amount of N protein and the level of resistance. The mechanism, involved in imparting resistance against negative strand RNA virus like TSWV, may differ from that involved in positive strand RNA virus, where coat protein (CP) gene has been used.

 

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