Assembly of double-shelled, virus-like particles in transgenic rice plantsexpressing two major structural proteins of rice dwarf virus

Rice dwarf virus (RDV) is a double-shelled particle that contains a major c apsid protein (P8), a major core protein (P3), several minor core proteins, and viral genomic double-stranded RNA. Coexpression of P8 and P3 in transg enic rice plants resulted in formation of double-shelled, virus-like partic les (VLPs) similar to the authentic RDV particles. The VLPs were not detect ed in transgenic rice plant cells expressing P8 alone. This in vivo result suggests that P8 interacted with P3 and that these two proteins provide the structural integrity required for the formation of VLPs in rice cells inde pendently of other structural proteins, nonstructural proteins, or viral ge nomic double-stranded RNAs.