Abstract:
Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) causes a serious disease of papaya and some cucurbits. Potyvirus particle is non-enveloped so its genome can be enlarged by gene insertion with no size limit. Furthermore, the genome encodes a polyprotein, which is modified after translation step to generate functional proteins. The foreign protein introduced in the viral genome, therefore, is produced in an equimolar ratio as viral proteins. Thus, PRSV can be considered as a transient expression vector for effective foreign protein production in plants. In this study, the cDNA clone of PRSV type P (PRSV-P) Thai isolate was used as a virus-based vector. The full-length cDNA clone of PRSV-P was constructed by assembling three overlapping cDNA fragments. This full length clone was under the control of partially duplicated CaMV 35s promoter, poly (A) tract and NOS terminator. The intermediate vector containing the P1 and HC-Pro genes of PRSV-P was modified by adding the SacII endonuclease recognition site and the cleavage site for NIa proteinase between the P1 and HC-Pro genes. The green fluorescent protein gene (mgfp4) containing SacII endonuclease recognition sites was inserted between the P1 and HC-Pro genes. The cDNA fragment containing the P1 gene, the GFP gene, the NIa proteinase clevage site and the Hc-Pro gene was cut from this intermediate clone by PacI/StuI digestion and exchanged to the full length cDNA clone.
The protocol of papaya protoplast mesophyll isolation was established to obtain the best quality and quantity of the protoplasts for DNA transformation. The concentration of Clorox use for leaf surface sterilization, type and concentration of cellulase, digestion time, leaf selection and centrifugation force in protoplast isolation steps were optimized. The average yield of protoplast was 2.33×106 cells g-1. Polyethyleneglycol (PEG) was chosen to mediate the transformation of the mgfp4 plasmid into papaya, tobacco, and zucchini mesophyll protoplasts. The PEG mediated technique showed higher protoplast transformation efficiency than the electroporation technique. The transformation in tobacco and zucchini protoplasts showed higher efficiency than papaya protoplast transformation. GFP expression was detected in protoplasts transformed with mgfp4 plasmid but not in protoplasts transformed with the PRSV vector. The RT-PCR analysis was used to detect the mRNA of mgfp4 gene in the transformed protoplasts, however, it was not possible to clarify whether mRNA of mgfp4 gene existed in the transformed protoplasts. The northern blot analysis, alternatively performed for the same purpose, was, on the other hand, not sensitive enough to detect the mgfp4 mRNA.
The PRSV CP mRNA was detected in papaya leaf bombarded with the PRSV vector by RT-PCR analysis at 3 days post transformation. However, none of the zucchini plants bombarded with the full-length cDNA of PRSV genome or the PRSV vector showed infection symptoms during 60 days post bombardment."