Plant Viruses as Gene Expression and Silencing Vectors

Abstract

Plant viruses have been modified to express heterologous proteins in plants and to downregulate the expression of genes of host plants through virus‐induced gene silencing (VIGS). Many viruses have been adopted as vectors for either or both purposes, with varying effectiveness and popularity. Key Concepts Plant‐infecting viruses can be engineered to express heterologous proteins or impart silencing of host genes. Gene expression vectors can be used to produce stand‐alone proteins or proteins/peptides fused to viral proteins. Gene‐specific silencing can be achieved by incorporating partial fragments of target genes in VIGS vectors. For most VIGS vectors, delivery remains a bottleneck in need of further improvements.