• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.513-518
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• 1998

Beet curly top virus (BCTV) mutant has been constructed in vitro that contain G-to-T transversions at nucleotide 2727 within overlapping open reading frames (ORFs) L1 and L4. The mutations introduce termination codon in ORF L4 without affecting the amino acid encoded by ORF L1. When agroinoculated into Arabidopsis thaliana the mutant caused mild stunting and stem curling, but not the callus induction and hyperlasia on infected tissues of Sei-O ecotype. However, this mutant was not infectious on Col-O. Levels of single stranded DNA forms were similar in mutant and wild type BCTV infections. The DNA quantitation data showed that the DNA of BCTV-L4 mutant virus was accumulated in shoot tips, infection origin and roots with similar levels to those of wild type virus infected. Three tissues of asymptomatic ecotype Col-O also had as much as virus DNA from wild type virus infections. In both ecotypes infected with BCTV-Logan and BCTV-L4 mutant, root tissues contained more virus DNA than any other tissues by the Southern hybridization data. The results suggest that ORF L4 encodes a functional protein that is a major determinant of pathogenesis that might affect the hyperplastic response of the host to BCTV infection.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 1999

Mutants of the monopartite geminivirus beet curly top virus (BCTV) have been screened for infectivity, systemic movement, replication and symptom development in Arabidopsis thaliana. As known by coding for coat protein, R1 mutant was not infectious and did not move systemically. R2, R3 and L2/L3 mutants produced milder symptoms compared to wild type BCTV but the infectivity was reduced by 40% to 60%. R2 ORF is thought to be involved in the regulation of ssDNA and dsDNA accumulation because only dsDNA was accumulated on R2-infected organs. Disruption of ORF L4 resulted in reduced infections, but the viral DNA was accumulated in infected organs from roots to shoot tips as much as wild type BCTV on Sei-O. In addition, 4 mutants did not produce callus-like tissues on infected organs, suggesting that L4 ORF may play a role in the induction of host cell divisions by virus infection. This result was supported by the patterns of mRNA expression and promoter analysis of the cell cycle marker gene, cycl, on Arabidopsis. cycl mRNA was accumulated on symptomatic organs by wild type BCTV infections but not by L4 mutant. We conclude that the BCTV L4 ORF is essential for symptom developments, specially callus-like formation on infected organs.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.129-133
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• 2003

The factors for symptom development caused by Beat curly top virus(BCTV) have been analyzed by using a molecular genetic approach based on expressing BCTV encoded proteins in transgenic plants. BCTV open reading frame (ORF) L4 expression in transgenic Arabidopsis resulted in abnormal plant development and the production of callus inflorescence stems and bumpy trichomes, confiming that this gene alone is a primary symptom determinant. The L4 gene expression by northern hybridization in transgenic plants and a range of phenotypes were analyzed.