Applications of Foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV) vector for protein overexpression and gene silencing in cereals and other commercial crops
Lead Research Organisation:
Rothamsted Research
Department Name: Biointeractions and Crop Protection
Abstract
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Publications
Adamski N
(2019)
A roadmap for gene functional characterisation in wheat
Bouton C
(2018)
Foxtail mosaic virus: A Viral Vector for Protein Expression in Cereals.
in Plant physiology
Chen H.
(2019)
Zymoseptoria tritici pangenome-based functional screens of candidate effector proteins in wheat
in MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS
Chen J
(2017)
Loss of AvrSr50 by somatic exchange in stem rust leads to virulence for Sr50 resistance in wheat.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Desjardins S
(2020)
A Cytological Analysis of Wheat Meiosis Targeted by Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS).
in Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)
Franco-Orozco B
(2017)
A new proteinaceous pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) identified in Ascomycete fungi induces cell death in Solanaceae.
in The New phytologist
Kanyuka K
(2022)
Virus-Mediated Protein Overexpression (VOX) in Monocots to Identify and Functionally Characterize Fungal Effectors.
in Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)
Kettles GJ
(2017)
Apoplastic recognition of multiple candidate effectors from the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici in the nonhost plant Nicotiana benthamiana.
in The New phytologist
Kettles GJ
(2018)
Characterization of an antimicrobial and phytotoxic ribonuclease secreted by the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici.
in The New phytologist
Mellado-Sánchez M
(2020)
Virus-Mediated Transient Expression Techniques Enable Gene Function Studies in Black-Grass.
in Plant physiology
| Description | The market and patent landscape assessment of the new FoMV protein expression vector has been carried out. Plant breeding and agrochemicals or biologicals which offer protection against plant pathogens as well as molecular farming have been identified as the main markets for this technology. In order to further substantiate the findings from the secondary market research and identify potential partners, contacts have been made with a range of relevant organisations in the plant breeding, agricultural biotechnology and molecular farming markets. Feedback was sought from a range of different companies with potential interest in the technology. Suitable target companies were selected from a combination of the patent landscaping, the market research, and IPP knowledge of this industry. Twenty-two companies have been contacted and these provided feedback regarding the attractiveness of our new technology. This allowed us to obtain a clear understanding of where or technology sits in the overall commercial landscape. |
| Exploitation Route | FoMV has a broad host range (35 dicot and 56 monocot species) including the important global crops of wheat, barley, maize (corn) and sorghum. The FoMV-based protein expression vector could therefore potentially be applied to all major crops including both dicots and monocots. Apart from virus-mediated protein overexpression the vector can also be used for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), a capability that only a few vectors can achieve in monocots. The vector can be used to rapidly screen genes directly in crops for basic research and we will provide our vector and the corresponding protocols for any interested academics via an MTA. The FoMV vector could also open up new ways for plant breeders to identify varieties that are resistant to a plethora of pathogens through the over-expression of pathogen effectors. Our new technology may be transferred to the interested industries via a licensing agreement. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
| Description | 2021-BBSRC/NSF-BIO: Host Immunity as a Driver of Virulence Evolution in Cereal Rust Fungi |
| Amount | £650,716 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/W018403/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2022 |
| End | 01/2025 |
| Title | Foxtail mosaic virus: A New Viral Vector for Protein Expression in Wheat and Maize |
| Description | A new vector based on a monopartite single-stranded positive sense RNA virus, Foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV, genus Potexvirus), have been developed. The gene of interest is inserted downstream of a duplicated sub-genomic promoter of the viral coat protein gene and the corresponding protein is expressed in its free form. This new vector, PV101, allowed expression of a 239 aa-long green fluorescent protein (GFP) in both virus inoculated and upper uninoculated (systemic) leaves of wheat and maize, and directed systemic expression of a larger ca. 600 aa protein GUSPlus in maize. Moreover, we demonstrated that PV101 can be used for in planta expression and functional analysis of apoplastic pathogen effector proteins such as host-specific toxin ToxA of a fungal pathogen Parastagonospora nodorum. |
| Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This new plant virus-based vector opens new possibilities for functional genomics studies in two of the most important cereal crops. |
| Description | Nomad Bioscience GmbH |
| Organisation | Nomad Bioscience |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Contributed our FoMV expression vector and know-how for transient protein expression in cereal crops. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contributed expression vectors and know-how for transient protein expression in numerous dicot plants. |
| Impact | A proof of concept for an alternative RNA-based technology for transiently targeting various regulatory circuits within a plant, leading to operator-specified alterations of agronomic traits, such as time of flowering, vernalization requirement, plant height or drought tolerance has been developed. The developed methodologies do not involve genetic modification of the plant genome and are limited to a single plant generation, fast, tunable and versatile, and can be used throughout much of the crop cultivation cycle. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Nomad Bioscience GmbH |
| Organisation | Nomad Bioscience |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Contributed our FoMV expression vector and know-how for transient protein expression in cereal crops. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contributed expression vectors and know-how for transient protein expression in numerous dicot plants. |
| Impact | A proof of concept for an alternative RNA-based technology for transiently targeting various regulatory circuits within a plant, leading to operator-specified alterations of agronomic traits, such as time of flowering, vernalization requirement, plant height or drought tolerance has been developed. The developed methodologies do not involve genetic modification of the plant genome and are limited to a single plant generation, fast, tunable and versatile, and can be used throughout much of the crop cultivation cycle. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Peter Dodds |
| Organisation | Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation |
| Country | Australia |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in stem rust disease of wheat, wheat genetics, disease resistance. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in functional genomics of cereals and associated microorganisms, virus-mediated over expression of heterologous proteins (VOX) |
| Impact | Isolation of the very fist stem rust effector protein (PubmedID 2926947). |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Title | VECTORS AND METHODS FOR GENE EXPRESSION IN MONOCOTS |
| Description | The invention relates to the field of genetic engineering tools for gene expression in plants. Specifically, the invention concerns modified Foxtail Mosaic Virus (FoMV) vectors comprising polynucleotide sequences which are capable of driving expression of a gene of interest in a plant host. Accordingly, the invention concerns FoMV-based expression vectors comprising said polynucleotides, compositions comprising modified FoMV vectors, methods of generating gene expression in plants infected with the modified FoMV vectors. The expression vectors, compositions, plants and methods of the present invention find application in many fields of biotechnology, including, for example, gene characterization, protein production and agricultural biotechnology. |
| IP Reference | WO2018065785 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2018 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | Increased international visibility of our research. New links with biotechnology companies. |
| Description | AvrSr50 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We prepared and published a press release covering our recently study: Chen et al. (2017) Loss of AvrSr50 by somatic exchange in stem rust leads to virulence for Sr50 resistance in wheat. Science 6370: 1607-1610; http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aao4810. This stimulated increased interest in our research and our story has been picked up by 15 news outlets, blogged by 5, and twitted by 84. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/rust-stemmed-wheat |
| Description | FoMV vector |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We prepared and published a press release covering our recently study: Clément Bouton et al. Foxtail mosaic virus: A viral vector for protein expression in cereals, Plant Physiology (2018). DOI: 10.1104/pp.17.01679. This stimulated increased interest in our research and our story has been picked up by 3 news outlets, twitted by 23, and blogged by 1.. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/vox-pops-cereal-challenge |
| Description | Rothamsted Festival of Ideas 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | It was our Institute's (Rothamsted Research) 175th birthday and we were celebrating with a Festival of Ideas. The event was free and open to all with something for everyone, from young to old. Our Festival brought together activities, exhibitions and demonstrations to immerse general public in the science of feeding the world. Numerous live plant displays and demonstration have been organised, as well as posters, interactive displays, tractor rides, talks, games and a trove of other astonishing exhibits describing our proud history of ground-breaking discoveries, from crop treatment to crop protection, from statistical interpretation to soils management. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/events/rothamsted-festival-ideas |
| Description | Rothamsted-Syngenta Alliance Success Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Oral and poster presentations of our new FoMV technology for protein expression in monocot crops sparked questions and discussion. Potential new uses for this technology have been discussed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |