Expression of the Tobacco Mosaic Virus Movement Protein Alters Starch Accumulation in Nicotiana benthamiana

Abstract

Nicotiana benthamiana plants were transformed with the movement protein (MP) gene of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Plants regenerated from the transformed cells accumulated 30-kDa MP and complemented the activity of TMV MP when infected with chimeric TMVs containing defective MP. These transgenic plants displayed stunting, pale-green leaves, and starch accumulations, indicating that TMV MP altered the carbon partitioning for leaves involved in TMV cell-to-cell movement.