Transformed plants expressing the 3' two-thirds of the cowpea chloroti
c mottle virus (CCMV) capsid gene were inoculated with a CCMV deletion
mutant lacking the 3' one-third of the capsid gene. Although the dele
tion inoculum replicates in inoculated cells, systemic infections occu
r only if recombination restores a functional capsid gene. Four of 125
inoculated transgenic plants, representing three different transgenic
lines, became systemically infected. Analysis of viral RNA confirmed
that RNA recombination had united the transgenic messenger RNA and the
challenging virus through aberrant homologous recombination.