9402103 Abstract Turpen The interaction of plants and their viruses present unique opportunities for the production of complex molecules. Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) is the type member of the tobamovirus group and is one of the best understood viruses in all aspects of their biology. Using existing technology for the construction of recombinant RNA viruses and transgenic hosts, we propose to use viral RNA amplification for the synthesis of defined products in plants. In Phase II, we will determine the necessary and optimal configuration of episomal sequences to achieve the goal of controlled and biologically contained, high level gene expression in whole plants. %%% The most highly expressed genes in plants are found encoded in plant RNA viral genomes. In order to develop a plant virus as a gene vector, we will design constructs which retain the ability to generate infectious recombinants and, as such, will no longer be limited in their use as gene vectors. Thus, the production of complex molecules on a commercial basis will be greatly optimized. ***
