The use of Plum pox virus as a plant expression vector

Abstract

Among the biotechnological uses of plant viruses, the expression of foreign sequences through virus‐based vectors represents a promising research area. The potyvirus Plum pox virus (PPV) has been used to design expression vectors which have allowed successful expression of foreign sequences in plants, either in the form of small peptides fused to the viral coat protein, or as whole independent proteins inserted on different points of the genome. The present review describes the different PPV‐based vectors that have been produced, including information regarding relevant aspects of their use, such as the optimal location of peptides or the stability of inserts. Recent developments, like the expression of proteins on stone fruit trees by using PPV‐based vectors capable to infect woody plants, are also described.

Plum pox virus and sharka: a model potyvirus and a major disease

“…The availability of functional full‐length cDNAs of the PPV genome (López‐Moya and García, ; Maiss et al ., ; Predajňa et al ., ; Riechmann et al ., ; Szathmary et al ., ) has facilitated the development of PPV‐based vectors to express either small peptides fused to the viral CP or independent proteins (García et al ., ). Several vectors developed to express epitopes of foreign agents at the surface of PPV virions differed in their tolerance to inserted sequences and in the antigenicity and immunogenicity of the expressed epitopes (Fernández‐Fernández et al ., , ).…”

Hosts and symptoms of Plum pox virus: Herbaceous hosts

“…Some of these herbaceous hosts, such as Chenopodium foetidum , N. clevelandii and Pisum sativum are very useful for concentrating and purifying the virus (Desvignes, 1999). Even Arabidopsis thaliana , the model plant for genetic and molecular studies, can be a host of PPV (García et al. , 2006).…”

Unravelling the Prunus/Plum pox virus interactions

“…To study the cellular localisation of PPV in systemic tissues, we used green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter. GFP was fused in frame between the NIb and CP sequences (see García et al ., 2006, this volume). In vivo and in vitro tests of Prunus infection with the GFP tagged PPV clones were also performed.…”