Generation of transgenic wheat resistant to wheat yellow mosaic virus and identification of gene silence induced by virus infection.

Reports research on transgenic wheat and gene silencing. Use of particle bombardment to insert the plasmid containing the promoter Act1, the coat protein (cp) gene of wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV) and the selectable bar gene, into immature embryos of a wheat cultivars; PCR and PCR-RFLP used to screen for the cp gene in TO and T1 generations; How seeds from the positive T1 plants were sowed in WYMV-contaminated soil to determine their resistance; Finding that one of the transgenic wheat lines, PS-T2, showed high disease-resistance; Western blot and RT-PCR analysis indicating the expression level of cp gene in the resistant transgenic line was reduced significantly; Conclusion that the mechanism of the virus induced gene silencing stimulated resistance.