Coat Protein Mediated Protection and the Potential for its Application in Agriculture.

With the development of techniques for the introduction of foreign genes into plant cells and the regeneration of transgenic plants, a number of different approaches have been taken to attempt to produce resistance to virus diseases. Those most commonly used have been (1) the expression of antisense RNAs; (2) the expression of satellite RNAs and defective interfering RNAs and DNAs; and (3) the expression of genes encoding viral capsid (coat) proteins. Of these the latter has been generally accepted because of its ready application to control a variety of virus diseases in a number of different crops. Because we recently published a review of the current state of the field (Beachy et al, 1990) this brief review will highlight the status of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]