Research Project: Establish a System to Infect and Maintain Nicotiana Benthamiana and Citrus with the Recombinant CTV

Location: Crop Diseases, Pests and Genetics Research

Project Number: 2034-22000-013-003-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Oct 1, 2015
End Date: Sep 30, 2019

Objective:
To develop a method to infect citrus with a mild California recombinant CTV vector and examine its biological characters and capacity to carry foreign genes (antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and interfering RNA (RNAi) effectors) that target control of pathogens and their insect vectors in citrus.

Approach:
1) Establish infrastructure and system to infect Nicotiana benthamiana and citrus with a mild California recombinant CTV vector carrying GFP to obtain intact recombinant CTV virions. 2) Concentrate the recombinant virions and mechanically inoculate citrus (sweet orange, mandarin, grapefruit) to establish systemically infected plants. 3) Monitor the vector’s biological activity (titer, distribution, phenotype, and aphid transmission) to ascertain its fitness as a transient expression vector in citrus.