Evaluation of the Chilli veinal mottle virus CP gene expressing transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants for disease resistance against the virus

Abstract

Vegetables are an important source of income and high-value crops for small farmers. Chilli (Capsicum spp.) is one of the most economically important vegetables of Pakistan and it is grown throughout the country. It is a rich source of nutrition especially vitamins A, B, C and E along with minerals as folic acid, manganese (Mn), potassium (K) and molybdenum (Mo). Chilli possesses seven times more amount of vitamin C than an orange. Vitamin A, C and beta-carotenoids are strong antioxidants to scavenge the free radicals. Chilli production is restricted due to various biotic factors. Among these viruses, Chilli veinal mottle virus (ChiVMV) is one of the most destructive and menacing agents that inflicts heavy and colossal losses that accounted for 50% yield loss both in quality and quantity. Pathogen-Derived Resistance (PDR) approach is considered one of the effective approaches to manage plant viruses. In this study, ChiVMV was characterized on a molecular level, the coat protein (CP) gene of the virus was stably transformed into Nicotiana benthamiana plants using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The transgenic plants were challenged with the virus to evaluate the level of resistance of plants against the virus. It was observed that the plants expressing CP gene have partial resistance against the virus in terms of symptoms’ development and virus accumulation. Translation of this technique into elite chilli varieties will be resulted to mitigate the ChiVMV in the crop as well as an economic benefit to the farmers.

Genetic diversity and molecular characterization of Cucumber mosaic cucumovirus (CMV) subgroup II infecting Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and Pea (Pisum sativum) in Pothwar region of Pakistan

“…The TRIzol ® Reagent (Life Technologies, USA) was used for total RNA isolation from serologically positive samples and subsequently checked for quantity and quality by Nanodrop (Thermo Fisher Scientific Co. USA) followed by Complementary DNA (cDNA) synthesis (Ahsan et al, 2020, Riaz et al, 2022.…”

“…The Pothwar region, (longitude 71°10-73°55E; latitude 32°10-34°9N), covering 22, 254 Km 2 area of northern Punjab province lies in the north-eastern part of Pakistan with diverse vegetation comprising fruits, ornamentals, vegetables as well as cereal crops, and small forests (Ashfaq et al, 2017;Riaz et al, 2022). Attock, Rawalpindi, Chakwal and Jehlum districts and capital territory Islamabad constitute this diversified region (Cheema et al, 2013).…”

Detection, Identification and Molecular Characterization of Tomato Mosaic Virus (ToMV) Isolates from Pakistan

“…Above 136 viruses infect tomatoes worldwide. In Pakistan reported tomato infecting viruses are Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) (Ashfaq and Ahmad, 2018), Potato virus X (PVX), Tomato leaf curl virus (TLCV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) (Riaz et al, 2021). Tomato mosaic virus is a tobamovirus that belongs to family Virgaviridae.…”