Identification of a novel plant virus promoter using a potyvirus infectious clone

A putative promoter from the strawberry vein banding caulimovirus (SVBV) ge nome was identified by its ability to drive infection with full-length cDNA of the zucchini yellow mosaic RNA potyvirus (ZYMV). A high rate of infecti on was obtained with the cDNA under control of the SVBV promoter using part icle bombardment technology. The SVBV promoter shows 60% homology to the ca uliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter in the domain spanning the conserved mo tifs of CCACT (at -83) and the TATA box (at -31), to the transcription star t. The 3'-end one-third of the putative promoter (328 bp) was sufficient to invoke full infectivity with the ZYMV clone, and drove transient reporter gene expression in Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae transformed with a binary p lant transformation vector. Stable expression of a reporter gene (GUS) unde r control of the truncated SVBV promoter was shown in transformed tobacco s hoots in roots, leaves and stems.