Cauliflower Mosaic Virus Gene VI Produces a Symptomatic Phenotype in Transgenic Tobacco Plants (Plant DNA Virus/Virus Symptomology) GAIL A
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Proc. Nati. Acad. Sci. USA Vol.85, pp. 733-737, February 1988 Biochemistry Cauliflower mosaic virus gene VI produces a symptomatic phenotype in transgenic tobacco plants (plant DNA virus/virus symptomology) GAIL A. BAUGHMAN, JERRY D. JACOBS*, AND STEPHEN H. HOWELLt Biology Department C016, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 Communicated by Myron K. Brakke, October 5, 1987 (receivedfor review July 29, 1987) ABSTRACT Gene VI of the cauliflower mosaic virus inclusion body. The major inclusion body matrix protein is (CaMV) genome encodes a protein (P66) in virus-infected encoded by gene VI in the CaMV genome and is translated plants that accumulates in cytoplasmic inclusion bodies. When from the 19S RNA-one of two major RNAs produced from a segment of the CaMV genome bearing gene VI is transferred the CaMV genome. Gene VI has been implicated in host to tobacco plants by the Agrobacterium tumefaciens Ti plas- range control and in symptom production (12). We demon- mid, the resulting transgenic plants display viral-like symp- strate in this paper that transgenic tobacco plants that toms. Symptoms produced by the DNA from two different express gene VI display a symptomatic phenotype charac- viral isolates (CaMV Cabb B-JI and CM1841) were distinct- teristic of virus-infected plants. symptoms from the first were mosaic-like, whereas the other caused uniform bleaching of leaves. That gene VI was respon- MATERIALS AND METHODS sible for the symptomatic phenotype was demonstrated by Plasmid Constructions. The basic construct used in these showing that symptom production was blocked by deletions experiments was a 4840-base-pair (bp) Sal I-Xho I fragment and by a frame-shifting linker mutation in gene VI. Further- from the CaMV genome linked to a DNA fragment from the more, in primary transformants, there was a strict correlation 3' end of the nopaline synthetase (nos) gene, which provides between the appearance of symptoms and the presence of gene a poly(A) signal (13). The CaMV DNA fragment (positions VI product, P66, detected by immunoblots. Hence, a protein 4833-1642) was obtained from pLW303, derived from a encoded by the CaMV genome produces viral-like symptoms CaMV Cabb B-JI isolate (14), or pCaMV10, from a CaMV in transgenic tobacco plants. CM1841 isolate (15), and carries from left to right (Fig. 1) the distal portion of open reading frame (ORF) V (V'), the 19S The pathogenic effects of viruses on plant growth, develop- promoter, ORF VI, the 35S promoter, ORF VII, ORF I, and ment, and symptom production are described in rich detail in the proximal portion of ORF II (I'). To link the CaMV DNA the plant literature; however, the mechanisms by which to the nos 3' segment, the Sal I-Xho I fragment of the viral plant viruses cause disease are poorly understood at a genome was inserted into the Sal I site of pUC18Xnos 3', molecular level (for review, see ref. 1). Symptoms produced which carries the 1028-bp nos 3' fragment in a derivative of by plant viruses are very diverse, but a common symptom in pUC18 that has an Xho I linker inserted in the HindIII site of systemic infections is a mosaic leaf pattern that results from the polylinker. the yellowing (chlorosis, bleaching, or clearing) of vascular An Xho I-Kpn I fragment containing the linked CaMV channels that delimit "green islands" of tissue in the leaf. DNA-nos 3' segment was inserted into the Sal I-Kpn I sites What causes the yellowing and the intensity of symptoms of Bin 19, an Agrobacterium tumefaciens binary Ti-plasmid is a matter of considerable interest. In plants infected with vector (16), to create pCaMV201 (Cabb B-JI isolate) and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) (2) and cucumber mosaic virus pGB220 (CaMV CM1841 isolate). These plasmids were (CMV) (3), virus is usually concentrated in the chlorotic transferred by conjugation to A. tumefaciens AtilO (LBA- regions, whereas the dark green islands are relatively virus- 4404 derivative) to yield At115 and At170, respectively (Fig. free. Among different isolates of the same virus, there 1). appears to be direct correlation between the severity of By making the appropriate deletions, we subdivided the symptoms (chlorosis) and the extent of TMV accumulation CaMV DNA insert into segments carrying either the 19S or (4). Attenuated TMV strains, such as the L11A strain, which the truncated 35S transcription units. Deletions were made differs from a normal strain by a single amino acid change in in pGB212, a progenitor plasmid (with pUC18 backbone) of the 183-kDa protein (5), accumulate to a lesser extent than pGB220. A Sal I linker was inserted at the EcoRV site the wild-type counterpart. However, among different vi- (CaMV map position 7342) or the Ava I site (position 6688) of ruses, the severity of symptoms does not necessarily relate the CaMV DNA insert, and the Sal I fragment containing a to the extent of virus accumulation (6). This may be due to portion of the 19S transcription unit was deleted; then the the fact that different viruses may have different means by remainder of the CaMV-nos 3' segment was inserted into Bin which they produce symptoms. 19 and transferred by conjugation into A. tumefaciens to Most isolates of cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) produce create At171 and At174, respectively. These two plasmids typical mosaic symptoms in the leaves of systemically in- differ by length of the region upstream from the 35S pro- fected host plants (7). At the cellular level, a prominent moter. In another construct, which gave rise to At172, cytopathological effect of CaMV infection is the appearance nearly all of the truncated 35S transcription unit was deleted of viral inclusion bodies or viroplasms in the cytoplasm of from the Asu II site (CaMV map position 7730), 295 bp infected cells. The most abundant viral-encoded protein, P66 (8-11), in infected cells is a major protein ofthe matrix ofthe Abbreviations: CaMV, cauliflower mosaic virus; TMV, tobacco mosaic virus; CMV, cucumber mosaic virus; P66, CaMV gene VI product; ORF, open reading frame. The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge *Present address: Zoology Department, University of Washington, payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" Seattle, WA 98195. in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. tTo whom reprint requests should be addressed. 733 Downloaded by guest on October 2, 2021 734 Biochemistry: Baughman et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85 (1988) Asu 11 Asu 11 terminus so that it could be conjugated to carrier bovine (7730) serum albumin according to Walter et al. (21). RESULTS Transgenic tobacco plants in the Atl15, Atl70, or At172 plant series (transgenic plants transformed by Atll5, Atl70, or Atl72, respectively) bearing a 4.8-kb segment of the CaMV genome (in AtllS and At170) or a 2.2-kb subfragment (in At172, Fig. 1) displayed an interesting phenotype. The Kpn I leaves of most plants showed typical symptoms of virus (Asp 718) infection of host plants. The leaves either had a blotchy (mosaic-like) appearance (Fig. 2A) or were uniformly light green (Fig. 2B) when compared to asymptomatic plants (Fig. 2C). We have tested the same DNA segment from two different CaMV isolates and have found that the DNA from the CaMV Cabb B-JI isolate (Atll5 series) usually gave a blotchy phenotype, whereas the CaMV CM1841 isolate (At170 and At172 series) produced a more uniform light green background. The 4.8-kb CaMV DNA segment introduced into these plants is a complex region of the viral genome that was linked to a 3' fragment from the nos gene (Fig. 1). The viral DNA segment contained two transcription units-the 19S RNA unit, which encodes ORF VI, and a truncated 35S FIG. 1. Map of plasmids in Atl70 (pGB220) and Atll5 RNA unit, which included ORFs VII and I. To find out what (pCaMV201) and plasmids derived from pGB220. Plasmids in Atl7O viral determinants were responsible for the symptomatic and Atll5 were produced by inserting the 4.8-kilobase (kb) Sal phenotype, we produced various deletions in the viral DNA I-Xho I CaMV fragment (from CaMV isolates CM1841 and Cabb segment and reintroduced the constructs into plants by B-JI, respectively) linked to the 1.0-kb nos 3' fragment into the A. tumefaciens binary Ti-plasmid vector, Bin 19 (16). Atl71, At172, means of the Ti plasmid. We found that all transformed and At173 have plasmids with deletions (A) as indicated. At173 has plants were asymptomatic (Table 1) when we deleted part an 8-bp Sal I linker insert at the Bal I site at position 5940 in the (At174 series) or nearly all (Atl71 series) of the 19S RNA CaMV genome segment. RB, right border; LB, left border. transcription unit, leaving the 35S RNA transcription unit intact with about 750 bases upstream from the start of 35S downstream from the start of transcription, to the Asu II site RNA transcription in the case of the At174 series and only in the nos 3' segment. A frame-shifting linker mutation in about 90 bases upstream in the Atl71 constructs. However, CaMV gene VI was created by inserting an 8-bp Sal I linker deletion of the 35S RNA transcription unit (At172 series, at the Bal I site (CaMV map position 5940) in pGB212. This Fig. 1) had no effect on symptom production (Fig. 2B, Table construct was inserted into Bin 19 and transferred to A. 1). These results pointed to gene VI in the 19S transcription tumefaciens to create At173. unit as a possible determinant of symptom production.