Multiple virus resistance at a high frequency using a single transgene construct.
RNA silencing is a natural antiviral defence in plants, which can be exploited in transgenic plants for preprogramming virus recognition and ensuring enhanced resistance. By arranging viral transgenes as inverted repeats it is thus possible to obtain strong repression of incoming viruses. Due to the high sequence specificity of RNA silencing, this technology has hitherto been limited to the targeting of single viruses. Here it is shown that efficient simultaneous targeting of four different tospoviruses can be achieved by using a single small transgene based on the production of minimal sized chimaeric cassettes. Due to simultaneous RNA silencing, as demonstrated by specific siRNA accumulation, the transgenic expression of these cassettes rendered up to 82 % of the transformed plant lines heritably resistant against all four viruses. Thus RNA silencing can be further improved for high frequency multiple virus resistance by combining small RNA fragments from a series of target viruses.
Bucher
Etienne
E
Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University, Binnenhaven 11, 6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Lohuis
Dick
D
Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University, Binnenhaven 11, 6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands.
van Poppel
Pieter M J A
PMJA
Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University, Binnenhaven 11, 6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Geerts-Dimitriadou
Christina
C
Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University, Binnenhaven 11, 6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Goldbach
Rob
R
Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University, Binnenhaven 11, 6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Prins
Marcel
M
Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University, Binnenhaven 11, 6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands.
D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000821:virology; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000032:analysis; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology*; D017865:Tospovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019076:Transgenes
D034741:RNA, Small Interfering