Expression of the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus Genome in Turnips (Brassica Rapa)

Abstract

Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) DNA is a possible vehicle for introducing foreign DNA into plant cells. CaMV is one of the few plant viruses that has a double-stranded DNA genome and the DNA, isolated from the virus, is infective.¹ CaMV would probably have to be considered as a “nonintegrating” vehicle, since there is no evidence as yet that the viral DNA integrates into the host plant genome.¹ However, the possibility for using nonintegrating viral DNAs as molecular vehicles in animal cells has been made dramatically apparent this past year through the experiments of Mulligan et al. who used SV40 DNA to introduce and express rabbit β-globin cDNA in monkey cells.² These authors replaced a viral structural gene in SV40 DNA with foreign DNA thereby placing the inserted DNA element under viral genome control.