METHODS AND MOLECULES FOR SUPPRESSION OF RNA SILENCING

摘要

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to mutant forms of flock house virus B2 protein characterized by having enhanced suppressor of RNA silencing activity as compared to wild type flock house virus B2 protein. Certain embodiments of the invention relate to nucleic acid sequences and vectors that encode and/or direct expression of such mutant forms of flock house virus B2 protein in eukaryotic cells. Certain embodiments of the invention relate to methods of using such mutant forms of flock house virus B2 protein and/or nucleic acid sequences and vectors that encode and/or direct expression thereof in eukaryotic cells to increase a replication rate of a plant or animal virus in a plant or animal cell.

主权项

1. An isolated recombinant expression vector comprising a promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid molecule encoding a mutant flock house virus (FHV) B2 protein that possesses:
(i) a reduced ability to form a homodimer as compared to a wild type FHV B2 protein, (ii) an enhanced ability to act as a suppressor of RNA silencing as compared to a wild type FHV B2 protein, and (iii) an amino acid sequence that shares at least about 85% identity with the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO 1,wherein:
the expression vector is configured to express, in at least one of a plant cell and an animal cell, the mutant FHV B2 protein encoded by the nucleic acid sequence, and the mutant FHV B2 protein comprises an alanine residue at position 4 of SEQ ID NO 1, an alanine residue at position 20 of SEQ ID NO 1, an alanine residue at position 29 of SEQ ID NO 1, or a combination thereof.