RECESSIVE PLANT VIRAL RESISTANCE RESULTS FROM MUTATIONS IN TRANSLATION INITIATION FACTOR EIF4E

摘要

The present invention relates to methods of imparting virus resistance toplants. In one aspect, this method involves silencing a gene encoding atranslation initiation factor eIF4E in the plant. In another aspect, thismethod involves overexpressing a heterologous translation initation factoreIF4E in a plant. The present invention further relates to a genetic constructcontaining a nucleic acid molecule encoding a heterologous translationinitiation factor eIF4E, as well as to an expression system containing thegenetic construct and a host cell transformed with the genetic construct. Thepresent invention also relates to transgenic plants, seeds, and plant partstransformed with the genetic construct. The present invention also relates toan isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding a mutant translation initiationfactor eIF4E that is effective in imparting virus resistance in plants. Thepresent invention also relates to a mutant translation initiation factor eIF4Eand a method for making the mutant.