Inducible gene expression by<i>Pepper huasteco virus</i>in<i>Capsicum chinense</i>plants with resistance to geminivirus infections

Abstract

To understand the interaction between pepper (Capsicum chinense) and Pepper huasteco virus (PHV), gene expression analyses using differential display reverse transcription -polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were carried out with plants (C.chinense accession BG-3821) previously identified as resistant to single and mixed geminivirus infection.In vitro propagated virus-free C. chinense plants were used in our work to reduce variability among plants.With this strategy, 45 differentially expressed RT-PCR fragments were identified, and two of them were further confirmed by Northern analyses as differentially induced when the plants were PHV infected.Sequencing of these RT-PCR fragments and comparison with GenBank showed some similarity with a bacterial methyl transferase gene (CbiL) and an NADP-malic enzyme of Sorghum bicolor.Aspects of the possible role of these genes in the interaction between C. chinense and PHV are discussed.