N. Bardonnet et al., PROTECTION AGAINST VIRUS-INFECTION IN TOBACCO PLANTS EXPRESSING THE COAT PROTEIN OF GRAPEVINE FANLEAF NEPOVIRUS, Plant cell reports, 13(6), 1994, pp. 357-360
Grapevine fanleaf nepovirus (GFLV) is responsible for the economically
significant ''court-noue'' disease in vineyards. Its genome is made u
p of two single-stranded RNA molecules (RNA1 and RNA2) which direct th
e synthesis of polyproteins P1 and P2 respectively. A chimeric coat pr
otein gene derived from the C-terminal part of P2 was constructed and
subsequently introduced into a binary transformation vector. Transgeni
c Nicotiana benthamiana plants expressing the coat protein under the c
ontrol of the CaMV 35S promoter were engineered by Agrobacterium tumef
aciens-mediated transformation. Protection against infection with viri
ons or viral RNA was tested in coat protein-expressing plants. A signi
ficant delay of systemic invasion was observed in transgenic plants in
oculated with virus compared Lo control plants. This effect was also o
bserved when plants were inoculated with viral RNA. No coat protein-me
diated cross-protection was observed when transgenic plants were infec
ted with arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), a closely related nepovirus also
responsible for a ''court-noue'' discase.