Tolerance to tomato leaf curl New Delhi begomovirus in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana expressing the phage M13 gene 5 (G5), an ssDNA binding protein

Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV), a single-stranded (ss)DNA virus(family; Geminiviridae), has become a constraint to the production of crops of the Cucurbitaceae, Solanaceae and Malvaceae across the sub-Continent, south east Asia and, more recently, the western Mediterranean basin. Transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants constitutively expressing the phage M13 gene 5 (G5) protein, an ssDNA binding protein, fused with nuclear localization signal, showed mild virus symptoms with a low virus titre. This study confirms G5 protein as useful to develop broad-spectrum resistance against ToLCNDV and other ssDNA viruses in plants.