title: Somatic homologous recombination in plants is promoted by a geminivirus in a tissue-selective manner.
abstract: Four transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana lines carrying different reporter gene constructs based on split glucuronidase genes were used to monitor the frequency of somatic homologous recombination after geminivirus infections. Euphorbia mosaic virus and Cleome leaf crumple virus were chosen as examples, because they induce only mild symptoms and are expected to induce less general stress responses than other geminiviruses. After comparing the different plant lines and viruses as well as optimizing the infection procedure, Euphorbia mosaic virus enhanced recombination rates significantly in the transgenic reporter line 1445. The effect was tissue-specific in cells of the leaf veins as expected for this phloem-limited virus. The advantage for geminiviruses to activate a general recombination pathway is discussed with reference to an increased fitness by generating virus recombinants which have been observed frequently as an epidemiologic driving force.
authors.affiliation: Biologisches Institut, Abteilung für Molekularbiologie und Virologie der Pflanzen, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, D-70550 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.affiliation: Biologisches Institut, Abteilung für Molekularbiologie und Virologie der Pflanzen, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, D-70550 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kleinow
authors.affiliation: Biologisches Institut, Abteilung für Molekularbiologie und Virologie der Pflanzen, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, D-70550 Stuttgart, Germany. Electronic address: holger.jeske@bio.uni-stuttgart.de.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jeske
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology*; D017791:Geminiviridae / Q000502:physiology*; D059765:Homologous Recombination; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000821:virology*
keywords: Arabidopsis thaliana; Begomovirus; Cleome leaf crumple virus; Euphorbia mosaic virus; Geminiviridae; Rolling circle amplification (RCA); Somatic homologous recombination