Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) has been implicated in the suppression of the hypersensitive response (HR), a type of programmed cell death induced during active resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana. In order to investigate the involvement of individual viral components in mediating suppression, TCV genes were cloned for use in an Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana. Agroinfiltration of the HR-inducing avrPto/Pto system in conjunction with individual TCV genes has identified the p38 gene, which encodes the viral coat protein, as the gene responsible for the cell death suppression phenotype. The extent of cell death suppression by coat protein was quantified and found to be equal to the level of suppression by the whole virus and AvrPtoB, another cell death inhibitor from bacteria. Thus, the coat protein alone is sufficient to inhibit the HR in plants. Further, the effect of TCV on HR initiation by an avirulence factor from an unrelated bacterial pathogen was investigated. The presence of TCV does not affect the production, secretion or cellular processing of the bacterial avirulence factor.

Creator

• Jyoti, Jyoti

Contributors

• Wobbe, Kristin K.

Degree

• MS

Unit

• Chemistry & Biochemistry

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Language

• English

Identifier

• etd-010907-201630

Keyword

• Hypersensitive response
• Turnip crinkle virus

Advisor

• Wobbe, Kristin K.

Defense date

• 2007-01-03

Year

• 2007

Date created

• 2007-01-09

Resource type

• Thesis

Rights statement

• In Copyright