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Published on September 7, 2007; 10.1104/pp.107.102806

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Received May 25, 2007
Accepted September 4, 2007

The Silver Lining of a Viral Agent: Increasing Seed Yield and Harvest Index in Arabidopsis by Ectopic Expression of the Potato Leaf Roll Virus Movement Protein

Kristin Kronberg , Florian Vogel , Twan Rutten , Mohammed-Reza Hajirezaei , Uwe Sonnewald , and Daniel Hofius *

Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK), Corrensstrasse 3, D-06466 Gatersleben, Germany; Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Lehrstuhl für Biochemie, Staudtstr. 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany; Department of Molecular Biology, Copenhagen Biocenter, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaloes Vej 5, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark

* Corresponding author; email: hofius{at}my.molbio.ku.dk.

Ectopic expression of viral movement proteins (MPs) has previously been shown to alter plasmodesmata (PD) function and carbon partitioning in transgenic plants, giving rise to the current view of PD being dynamic and highly regulated structures that allow resource allocation to be adapted to environmental and developmental needs. However, most work has been restricted to solanaceous species and the potential use of MP expression to improve biomass and yield parameters has not been addressed in detail. Here we demonstrate that MP-mediated modification of PD function can substantially alter assimilate allocation, biomass production and reproductive growth in Arabidopsis thaliana. These effects were achieved by constitutive expression of the Potato leaf roll virus movement protein (MP17) fused to GFP in different Arabidopsis ecotypes. The resulting transgenic plants were analysed for PD localisation of the MP17:GFP fusion protein and different lines with low to high expression levels were selected for further analysis. Low-level accumulation of MP17 resulted in enhanced sucrose efflux from source leaves and a considerably increased vegetative biomass production. In contrast, high MP17 levels impaired sucrose export resulting in source leaf-specific carbohydrate accumulation and a strongly reduced vegetative growth. Surprisingly, later during development the MP17-mediated inhibition of resource allocation was reversed, and final seed yield increased in average up to 30% in different transgenic lines as compared to wild type plants. This resulted in a strongly improved harvest index. The release of the assimilate export block was paralleled by a reduced PD-binding of MP17 in senescing leaves, indicating major structural changes of PD during leaf senescence.




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