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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Washington, D.C. » National Arboretum » Floral and Nursery Plants Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #158531
Title: TRANSGENIC GLADIOUS PLANTS TRANSFORMED WITH EITHER THE BEAN YELLOW MOSAIC COAT PROTEIN GENE OR ANTISENSE RNA

Author
item Kamo, Kathryn
item GERA, ABED - VOLCANI CENTER,ISRAEL
item COHEN, JACOB - VOLCANI CENTER,ISRAEL
item Hammond, John
item BLOWERS, ALAN - BALL HORT CO., ILLINOIS
item SMITH, FRANZINE - SANFORD SCI., NEW YORK
item VAN ECK, JOYCE - BOYCE THOMPSON INST., NY

Submitted to: Plant Cell Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/26/2004
Publication Date: 5/7/2005
Citation: Kamo, K., Gera, A., Cohen, J., Hammond, J., Blowers, A., Smith, F., VAn Eck, J. 2005. Transgenic Gladiolus plants transformed with the bean yellow mosaic virus coat-protein gene in either sense or antisense orientation. Plant Cell Rep. 23(9):654-663.

Interpretive Summary: Viruses are a major problem in palnts that are propogated vegetatively. There is no effective chemical treatment that will eliminate viruses from plant tissues. An alternative stategy is to develop genetically engineered plants with antivral genes. In this study transgenic Gladiolus plants containing the bean yellow mosaic virus coat protein gene and antisense RNA were developed and tested to determine if they conferred virus resistance. Some of the transgenic Gladioulus plants showed short term resistance to bean yellow mosaic virus. None of the plants showed long term resistance.

Technical Abstract: Transgenic Gladioulus plants transformed with either the Bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) coat protein (CP) gene or antisense RNA were developed using biolistics. At least four of the plants were confirmed to carry the CP gene and seven the antisense (AS) RNA gene. Two of the CP plant lines and all AS RNA lines showed DNA rearrangements of the transgene in addition to an intact copy of the transgene. The copy number ranged from 1-9. Eight of the 11 lines had only 1-4 copies of the transgene. Transcription of the transgene occurred for three of the CP lines and five of the AS RNA lines as determined by Northern hybridization. all 11 plant lines were challenged with BYMV using controlled aphid transmission. One month following aphid transmission, the transgenic plants were examined by immunoelectron microscopy for presence of the virus. Several transgenic plant lines containing wither antiviral transgene showed a lower infection rate (% plants infected as detected by immunoelectron microscopy) compared to non-transformed plants. This is the first report of developing a floral bulb crop with antiviral genes and demonstrating short term resistance to BYMV.