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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #169555
Title: ACTIVITY OF VIRAL SUPPRESSORS OF GENE SILENCING DURING TRANSIENT GENE EXPRESSION IN PLANTS

Author
item Velten, Jeffrey
item Cazzonelli, Christopher

Submitted to: Keystone Symposia
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/16/2004
Publication Date: 1/8/2005
Citation: Cazzonelli, C.I., Velten, J.P. 2005. Activity of viral suppressors of gene silencing during transient gene expression in plants[ABSTRACT]. Keystone Symposia.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In plants, posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) is a highly conserved nucleotide sequence-specific RNA turnover mechanism that can recognize foregin RNA molecules and lead to the double stranded RNA-dependent silencing of transgenes. The mechanism(s) by which plants detect aberrant or foreign gene expression and trigger PTGS remains to be elucidated. By use of an Agrobacteria-mediated in vivo transient assay system developed for tobacco (Nicotiana tobacum and benthamiana) we have investigated the effects of the p19 and HcPro suppressors of PTGS, on the two luciferase reporter genes, FiLUC (firefly, Photinus pyralis) and RiLUC (sea pansy, Renilla reniformis). We have observed differences in the suppressed luciferase activities of the two reporter genes and present data supporting the idea that the sequence identity/secondary structure of the reporter gene transcript is a significant determinant of how the foreign transcript is perceived and PTGS is triggered and or maintained.