EXPRESSION OF ENGINEERED ANTIBODIES IN PLANTS - A POSSIBLE TOOL FOR SPIROPLASMA AND PHYTOPLASMA DISEASE-CONTROL

In an attempt to develop maize plants with resistance to corn stunt sp iroplasma (CSS), a single-chain Fv fragment (scFv) gene that was const ructed from antibodies with strong inhibitory activity against CSS, wa s expressed in a cell line of maize. However, plants regenerated from this transgenic cell line showed no distinct resistance to CSS infecti on under the greenhouse conditions. The affinity and functionality of scFv in vivo and the locations of CSS and expressed scFv in maize coul d be a part of the contributing factors affecting this result. Progres s of expressing antibodies in plants for plant pathogen resistance is also discussed.