Generation of potato transgenic lines resistant to potato leafroll virus and potato spindle tuber viroid

Resistance of transgenic potato Lines of the cultivar Zhukovskiy ranniy to Potato Leafroll Virus (PLRV) and to Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid (PSTV) was studied. Genetic construct used for plant transformation carries an expression cassette of hybrid RNA containing the antisense RNA fragment of PLRV replicase (852-990a. a.) and the fragment of PSTV RNA (58-214n.). One from the four generated transgenic lines has demonstrated resistance to both pathogens in Laboratory tests with in vitro plants. Leaves of transgenic potato plants were mechanically inoculated by sap from a viroid-infected plant. Infection development was tested by RTPCR. Transgenic potato plants were inoculated with purified PLRV through cut roots. PLRV accumulation in plants was detected by ELISA of samples from the Lateral shoot of the virus-infected plants.