METHOD FOR INCREASING PLANT RESISTANCE TO SUGARCANE MOSAIC VIRUS AND SUGARCANE MOSAIC VIRUS RESISTANT PLANTS

摘要

The present invention refers to a method for increasing plant resistance to infection by Sugarcane Mosaic Virus (SCMV). Such method comprises transforming or transfecting said plant with an expression vector comprising a promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid molecule encoding (i) a protein having properties of the coat protein of said SCMV, or (ii) an anti-sense RNA molecule complementary to the plus strand RNA of the coat protein gene or (iii) a hairpin dsRNA molecule for the coat protein gene of said SCMV, wherein expression of said expression cassette inhibits infection by SCMV. The present invention also refers to a transgenic plant, or a part, or a propagule or a progeny thereof tolerant, resistant or immune to Sugarcane Mosaic Virus. The genome of such plant comprises one or more copies of a nucleic acid molecule sequence which encodes (i) a protein having properties of the coat protein of said SCMV, or (ii) an anti-sense RNA molecule complementary to the plus strand RNA of the coat protein gene or (iii) a hairpin dsRNA molecule for the coat protein gene of said SCMV.