Uptake of Viruses by Plant Protoplasts and Their Use as Transforming Agents

Genetically engineered plant viruses have potential, as nonintegrating transforming agents, to alter the plant phenotype, cross-protect against virulent virus strains or exploit the plant as an expression vehicle for the production of novel compounds (Cassells 1986; Schilperoort 1986). The development and exploitation of nonintegrating transforming agents involves consideration of the strategy outlined in Fig. 1 as well as health and safety, ecological and commercial risk evaluation (Cassells 1986). The choice of the progenitor of the transforming agent, having considered the above, will depend on its amenability to genetic engineering, and also on the development of a system in which its expression can be studied. It is in the latter regard that studies on virus uptake and expression in protoplasts relate to the subject of this volume.