plant biotechnology, biotechnological tools, indirect gene transfer, vector mediated gene transfer, viral vector, DNA viral vector and RNA vector

1. Plant viruses as a
Vectors
Dr. P. Nithiya
Assistant Professor,
Department of Botany,
Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College,
Tiruchirappalli

2.  Plant expression vectors are mainly based on the Ti plasmid
of Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
 Plant viruses are also used as expression vectors
 DNA Vectors
1. Cauliflower mosaic virus (CMV)
2. Gemini viruses
3. Mastreviruses
4. Begomoviruses
RNA Vectors
1. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)
2. Brome mosaic virus (BMV)
3. Hordeiviruses
4. Potexviruses
5. Comoviruses

3. Expression vector
 An expression vector, is usually a plasmid or virus designed
for gene expression in cells.
 The vector is used to introduce a specific gene into a target
cell, and can commandeer the cell's mechanism for protein
synthesis to produce the protein encoded by the gene.
 Expression vectors are the basic tools in biotechnology for
the production of proteins.

4.  The vector is engineered to contain regulatory sequences that act as
enhancer and promoter regions and lead to efficient transcription of
the gene carried on the expression vector.
 The goal of a well-designed expression vector is the efficient
production of protein, and this may be achieved by the production of
significant amount of stable messenger RNA, which can then be
translated into protein.
 The expression of a protein may be tightly controlled, and the protein
is only produced in significant quantity when necessary through the
use of an inducer, in some systems however the protein may be
expressed constitutively.

5. Viruses as a vector
 Using the DNA virus as a vector, it may be possible
to insert the foreign DNA into the viral genome.
 Since the foreign DNA in association with viral
DNA can be incorporated safely in the nucleus of
the recipient cell.
 So, DNA viruses are more or less suitable vectors
for gene transfer.

6. Plant viruses are non-integrative
vectors:
 The plant viruses do not integrate into the host genome in
contrast to the vectors based on T-DNA of A. tumefaciens
which are integrative.
 The viral genomes are suitably modified by introducing
desired foreign genes.
 These recombinant viruses are transferred, multiplied and
expressed in plant cells.
 They spread systemically within the host plant where the
new genetic material is expressed.

7. Caulimoviruses as Vectors:
 The caulimoviruses contain circular double- stranded DNA,
and are spherical in shape.
 Caulimoviruses are widely distributed and are responsible
for a number of economically important diseases in
various crops.
 The caulimovirus group has around 15 viruses and among
these cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) is the most
important for gene transfer.
 The other caulimoviruses include carnation etched virus,
dahlia mosaic virus, mirabilis mosaic virus and strawberry
vein banding virus.

8. Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV):
 CaMV infects many plants (e.g. members of Cruciferae,
Datura) and can be easily transmitted, even mechanically.
 Another attractive feature of CaMV is that the infection is
systemic, and large quantities of viruses are found in
infected cells.
 A diagrammatic view of the CaMV genetic map is
depicted.
 The genome of CaMV consists of a 8 kb (8024 bp) relaxed
but tightly packed circular DNA with six major and two
minor coding regions.
 The genes II and VII are not essential for viral infection.

9. Caulimoviruses

11. Use of CaMV in gene transfer:
 For appropriate transmission of CaMV, the foreign DNA must be
encapsulated in viral protein.
 Further, the newly inserted foreign DNA must not interfere with the native
assembly of the virus. CaMV genome does not contain any non-coding
regions wherein foreign DNA can be inserted.
 It is fortunate that two genes namely gene II and gene VII have no essential
functions for the virus.
 It is therefore possible to replace one of them and insert the desired
foreign gene.
 Gene II of CaMV has been successfully replaced with a bacterial gene
encoding dihydrofolate reductase that provides resistance to
methotrexate.
 When the chimeric CaMV was transmitted to turnip plants, they were
systemically infected and the plants developed resistance to methotrexate.

12. Limitations of CaMV as a vector:
 i. CaMV vector has a limited capacity for insertion of
foreign genes.
 ii. Infective capacity of CaMV is lost if more than a few
hundred nucleotides are introduced.
 iii. Helper viruses cannot be used since the foreign DNA
gets expelled and wild-type viruses are produced.

13. Gemini Viruses as Vectors:
 The Gemini viruses are so named because they have geminate
(Gemini literally means heavenly twins) morphological particles
i.e. twin and paired capsid structures.
 These viruses are characterized by possessing one or two single-
stranded circular DNAs (ss DNA). On replications, ss DNA forms
an intermediate double-stranded DNA.
 The Gemini viruses can infect a wide range of crop plants
(monocotyledons and dicotyledons) which attract plant
biotechnologists to employ these viruses for gene transfer.
 Curly top virus (CTV) and maize streak virus (MSV) and bean
golden mosaic virus (BGMV) are among the important Gemini
viruses.

14. Gemini virus

15. Gemini virus
 It has been observed that a large number of replicative forms of a
Gemini virus genome accumulate inside the nuclei of infected cells.
 The single-stranded genomic DNA replicates in the nucleus to form a
double-stranded intermediate.
 Gemini virus vectors can be used to deliver, amplify and express
foreign genes in several plants/ explants (protoplasts, cultured cells).
 However, the serious drawback in employing Gemini viruses as
vectors is that it is very difficult to introduce purified viral DNA into
the plants.
 An alternate arrangement is to take the help of Agrobacterium and
carry out gene transfer.

16. RNA Plant Viruses as Vectors:
 There are mainly two type’s single-stranded
RNA viruses:
 1. Mono-partite viruses:
 2. Multipartite viruses:

17. 1. Mono-partite viruses:
 These viruses are usually large and contain
undivided genomes for all the genetic
information e.g. tobacco mosaic virus
(TMV).

18. 2. Multipartite viruses:
 The genome in these viruses is divided into small RNAs
which may be in the same particle or different particles,
e.g. brome mosaic virus (BMV).
 HMV contains four RNAs divided between three particles.
 Plant RNA viruses, in general, are characterized by high
level of gene expression, good efficiency to infect cells
and spread to different tissues.
 But the major limitation to use them as vectors is the
difficulty of joining RNA molecules in vitro.

19. Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV)
 TMV have single-stranded RNA genome which also serves as
mRNA. It encodes at least four proteins in three open reading
frames.
 Its genome contains 4 genes, of these the coat protein (cp) gene
seems to be nonessential and can be site of integration of
transgene.
 Viral RNA promoters are successfully manipulated for the synthesis
of recombinant messenger RNAs in whole plants.
 This vector consist of two steps, first, is the use of cDNA copy of
viral genome for cloning in E. coli and, second, is in vitro
transcription of the recombinant viral genome cDNA to produce
infectious RNA copies to be used for plant infection.

21. TMV
 Icon Genetics, a biotechnology company based in Germany, developed a
technique for transfecting plants with these recombinant virus vector
modules, known as Magnifection. Magnifection combines agro infiltration with
the delivery of a deconstructed vector that lacks the ability to spread to
other plants.
 A deconstructed TMV vector has been employed to generate Human
papillomavirus HPV E7 protein and Norwalk virus-like particles (VLPs) in
plants as well as the Influenza M2e epitope in plants.
 Foreign protein expression in TMV infected plants can also be enhanced
significantly through the coexpression of the RNA silencing suppressor gene
P19 of the Tomato bushy stunt virus.
 The recent discovery of adjuvant properties of TMV has sparked a renewed
interest in the use of this virus as a delivery vehicle for immunotherapy. TMV
particles have been demonstrated to be taken up by dendritic cells and to
exhibit activation properties, resulting in robust CD8+ T cell responses

22. Potex Virus
 Potato virus X (PVX) is a plant pathogenic virus of the
family Alphaflexiviridae and the order Tymovirales.
 It is the type species of the genus Potexvirus.
 PVX is found mainly in potatoes and is only transmitted
mechanically. There are no insect or fungal vectors for
this virus.
 This virus causes mild or no symptoms in most potato
varieties, but when Potato virus Y is present, synergy
between these two viruses causes severe symptoms in
potatoes.

23. Potex Virus
 The virion has helical symmetry and a deeply grooved,
highly hydrated surface and is made of a single-stranded
positive-sense RNA genome of approximately 6.4 kb.
 This is wrapped in approximately 1300 units of a single
coat protein (CP) type, with 8.9 CP units per helix turn.
 The genome is capped at the 5′-end and poly-adenylated
at the 3′-terminus.
 It contains five open reading frames (ORFs) encoding five
proteins: the RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase (RdRP), the
movement proteins encoded by three overlapping ORFs
that form the Triple Gene Block module (TGBp1, TGBp2,
and TGBp3), and the CP (coat protein).

26. Potex viruses as a vector
 Potato Virus X (PVX), a flexuous, rod-shaped virus
containing a plus-sense RNA molecule, has also been
engineered extensively as an expression vector for
biopharmaceuticals.
 The genome of PVX consists of replicase and capsid
protein genes, as well as a triple gene block, whose
products are responsible for virus movement.
 PVX has been used to express full-length proteins, fusion
proteins, epitopes that are displayed on the outer surface
of the assembled virus particle, and more recently, PVX
nanoparticles have been demonstrated to block tumour
progression in animal models.

27. Potex Virus
 PVX has been employed for the development of a
universal influenza vaccine consisting of an epitope
derived from the extracellular domain of H1N1 virus
matrix protein 2 (M2e). The researchers fused M2e to
bacterial flagellin, a strong mucosal adjuvant, in order to
improve M2e immunogenicity
 PVX has produced other antigens as well. For example,
Uhde-Holzem et al. (2010) used PVX to
 express the epitope HVR1 from the Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
as a fusion protein.
 Recently, PVX has been designed to act as a nanoparticle
for tumour immunotherapy.

28. Thank you