Open AccessStrategies for antiviral resistance in transgenic plants
Author(s) -
PRINS MARCEL,
LAIMER MARGIT,
NORIS EMANUELA,
SCHUBERT JÖRG,
WASSENEGGER MICHAEL,
TEPFER MARK
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
molecular plant pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.945
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1364-3703
pISSN - 1464-6722
DOI - 10.1111/j.1364-3703.2007.00447.x
Subject(s) - biology , transgene , genetically modified crops , gene silencing , virus , plant virus , gene , rna interference , virology , plant disease resistance , potato virus x , resistance (ecology) , genetics , rna , computational biology , microbiology and biotechnology , ecology
SUMMARY Genetic engineering offers a means of incorporating new virus resistance traits into existing desirable plant cultivars. The initial attempts to create transgenes conferring virus resistance were based on the pathogen‐derived resistance concept. The expression of the viral coat protein gene in transgenic plants was shown to induce protective effects similar to classical cross protection, and was therefore distinguished as ‘coat‐protein‐mediated’ protection. Since then, a large variety of viral sequences encoding structural and non‐structural proteins were shown to confer resistance. Subsequently, non‐coding viral RNA was shown to be a potential trigger for virus resistance in transgenic plants, which led to the discovery of a novel innate resistance in plants, RNA silencing. Apart from the majority of pathogen‐derived resistance strategies, alternative strategies involving virus‐specific antibodies have been successfully applied. In a separate section, efforts to combat viroids in transgenic plants are highlighted. In a final summarizing section, the potential risks involved in the introduction of transgenic crops and the specifics of the approaches used will be discussed.