Project Number: 1931-21000-017-08
Project Type: Nonfunded Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Nov 01, 2007
End Date: Oct 31, 2009

Objective:
The objective of this agreement is to engineer alleles of the eIF4E gene from prunus species to confer plum pox virus resistance when expressed in transgenic prunus. The results will establish a new, plant-based method for engineering resistance to plum pox virus and new resistant plum cultivars with agronomic potential.

Approach:
Prunus eIF4E alleles will be engineered to confer plum pox virus resistance based on existing knowledge about eIF4E-potyvirus interactions. The resulting engineered alleles will be transformed into both model herbaceous plant species and prunus species using standard methods. The resulting transgenic plants will be tested by established techniques to confirm eIF4E introgression and expression and subsequently tested for plum pox virus resistance. Concurrently, additional molecular experiments will be conducted to study the interactions between prunus eIF4E alleles and plum pox virus proteins. This information will help ascertain the mechanism(s) of any observed resistance or lack thereof.