Transcriptional and translational control of gene expression in cauliflower mosaic virus

Cauliflower mosaic virus sequences have developed as a powerful tool for the study of various aspects of gene expression in plants. Analysis of the promoter/enhancer region has led to the discovery of several transcription factors and factor-binding sites. Studies on RNA processing and polyadenylation reveal a viral strategy to obtain terminal redundancy of retrovirus pregenomic RNA. Striking differences between plant and vertebrate polyadenylation signals have been disclosed. The mechanisms for translation of the polycistronic 35S RNA are novel in the eukaryotic field and may give new insight to translational control in general.