Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Virus-induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) in Nicotiana benthamiana and Tomato
Published on: June 10, 2009
Tomato leaf curl Java virus V2 protein is a determinant of virulence, hypersensitive response and suppression of
Pradeep Sharma1, Masato Ikegami
1Department of Life Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 1-1 Tsutsumidori-Amamiyamachi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8555, Japan. neprads@gmail.com
Abstract:
We previously identified the Tomato leaf curl Java virus-A (ToLCJV-A[ID]) from Southeast Asia as a new member of the emerging group of monopartite begomoviruses that require a betasatellite component for symptom induction. In this study, the role of V2 in viral pathogenesis and posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) was studied. Our results showed V2 of ToLCJV-A[ID] elicits a reaction resembling the hypersensitive response (HR) associated with the induction of necrosis and a systemic burst of H(2)O(2) production when expressed from a potato virus X vector in Nicotiana species and tomato. Transient expression of ToLCJV-A[ID] V2 after agroinfiltration of Nicotiana benthamiana and tomato also triggered HR-like cell death, demonstrating that ToLCJV-A[ID] V2 is a target of host defense responses. Deletion of 58 amino acids (aa) from the N-terminus did not affect the HR, suggesting that this region has no role in the HR, while deletion of 58 aa from the C-terminus of V2 abolished both the HR response and V2 silencing suppressor activity, suggesting that these sequences are required for the HR-like response and suppression of PTGS. This finding demonstrated that ToLCJV-A[ID] V2 is a pathogenicity determinant that elicits an HR-like response.
Related Concept Videos
Subviral Agents
Leaky Scanning
Inhibitors of Virion Maturation and Assembly
Regulation of Bacterial Virulence
Inhibitors Of Virion Release
Transgenic Plants
The first-ever transgenic plant was a tobacco plant developed in 1983 that showed resistance against the tobacco mosaic virus. Since then, many transgenic plants have been developed and commercialized for improving the agricultural, ornamental, and horticultural value of a crop plant. Transgenic...

