Plant Viruses as Gene Expression and Silencing Vectors

George P Lomonossoff, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK
Nicholas P Montague, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK

Published online: July 2008

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0020709

It has proven possible to introduce foreign sequences into the genomes of plant viruses in such a way that their ability to replicate is retained. As a result, the foreign sequence is amplified resulting in either the high-level expression of a foreign protein or virus-induced gene silencing of an endogenous plant gene. This has meant that plant virus-based vectors have found widespread application both as a means of protein expression and as a tool in functional genomics.

Keywords: plant virus vector; combined virus/transgene system; gene expression; display; virus-induced gene silencing

Figure 1. Types of viral vector used for gene expression and silencing. In the case of (a) the sequence inserted into the coat protein (CP) is shown in green. After expression the peptide is expressed on the surface of assembled virus particles (dark blue hexagon). In the case of (b) the inserted sequence (YFG – Your favourite Gene) is shown replacing the CP (shown crossed out), though other genes can also be replaced. In (c)–(e) both the inserted sequence and the resulting protein (in case of expression) are shown in orange.
Figure 2. Strategies for expressing a foreign sequence (Your favourite Gene) from (a) a DNA virus vector and (b) an RNA virus vector. In (a) the sequence is positioned downstream of an efficient promoter to allow transcription. In (b) expression of the foreign sequence is effected either by positioning in downstream of a duplicated subgenomic promoter to produce an mRNA with the foreign sequence at its 5¢ end or by flanking the inserted sequence with duplicated protease sites.
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 References
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 Further Reading
    Baulcombe DC (1999) Fast forward genetics based on virus-induced gene silencing. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 2: 109–113.
    Cañizares MC, Nicholson L and Lomonossoff GP (2005) Use of viral vectors for vaccine production in plants. Immunology and Cell Biology 83: 263–270.
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    Gleba Y, Klimyuk V and Marillonnet S (2007) Viral vectors for the expression of proteins in plants. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 18: 134–141.
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    Lomonossoff GP and Hamilton WDO (1999) Cowpea mosaic virus-based vaccines. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology 240: 177–189.
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    Porta C and Lomonossoff GP (2002) Viruses as vectors for the expression of foreign sequences in plants. Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Reviews 19: 245–291.
    Robertson D (2004) VIGS vectors for gene silencing: many targets, many tools. Annual Review of Plant Biology 55: 495–519.

Related Sub-Topics:

Viruses Infecting Plants | Plant Biotechnology
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Article Title: Plant Viruses as Gene Expression and Silencing Vectors
 
How to Cite close
Lomonossoff, George P, and Montague, Nicholas P(Jul 2008) Plant Viruses as Gene Expression and Silencing Vectors. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0020709]