Viral Amplification of Recombinant Messenger RNA in Transgenic Plants

植物是复杂分子的廉价来源。从香料到制药，有几个行业都是以植物为原料的化学原料。通过病毒基因扩增可以比传统的基因工程更有效地控制植物的生物合成途径。我们提出基于病毒RNA复制在转基因植物中扩增特异性靶RNA。烟草花叶病毒的5′和3′病毒复制起点将与内部靶序列结合进行扩增。在名义上的组成型启动子的转录控制下，将一个基因插入烟草染色体合成重组信使RNA。在存在辅助可行性的情况下，我们将使用氯霉素乙酰转移酶（CAT）的信使RNA作为靶序列来量化扩增的基因表达。由于扩增水平和表达时间将由辅助病毒控制，这项技术将大大扩展转基因作物中可能的遗传操作类型。%%%在植物中高效生产高价值的生物化学物质将为国内种植者创造新的机会，并加强我国经济的农业部门在国际上竞争的能力。

Plants are an inexpensive source of complex molecules. Several industries are based on chemical feedstocks of plant origin, ranging from flavors to pharmaceuticals. The biosynthetic pathways of plants may be more effectively manipulated through viral gene amplification than by conventional genetic engineering. We propose to amplify specific target RNAs in transgenic plants based on viral RNA replication. The 5' and 3' viral replication origins of tobacco mosaic virus will be combined with an internal target sequence to be amplified. Recombinant messenger RNA will be synthesized from a gene inserted into the tobacco chromosome under transcriptional control of a nominally constitutive promoter. In the presence of helper feasibility, we will quantify amplified gene expression using the messenger RNA for the enzyme chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) as a target sequence. %%% Because the levels of amplification and timing of expression will be controlled by the helper virus, this technique will significantly extend the types of genetic manipulations possible in transgenic crops. Efficient production of high value biochemicals in plants will create new opportunities for domestic growers and strengthen the ability of the agricultural sector of our economy to compete internationally.