9513847 Linbo Certain transgenic plant lines expressing translatable or untranslatable forms of the tobacco etch potyvirus (TEV) coat protein gene are resistant to infection by TEV. Past research has suggested that such transgenic plants are resistant due to the presence of a sequence specific RNA dgradation activity which targets both the transgene RNA and TEV RNA. The specific aims of this research are to identify: (1) the significance of the RNA degradation in virus resistance, (2) the specific RNA sequences recognized by this RNA degrading activity, and (3) how the RNA degradation system may be induced. %%% Plant viruses can be serious agricultural pathogens, causing significant crop losses. The largest group of plant viruses, and one of the most economically important is the potyvirus group. Some transgenic tobacco plant lines have been engineered to produce two different types of coat protein RNA when infected with TEV. The plant which has one form of the RNA is immediately resistant to the viral infection but the other type is at first susceptible and then becomes resistant. The goal of this project is to characterize the two forms of resistance. ***
