Course Goals:
This course is designed primarily for graduate students who are planning research and/or teaching careers in plant pathology, virology and/or related fields. PLP226 is designed to provide information on viruses as causal agents of plant diseases, to provide an understanding of contemporary plant virology and to provide a specific understanding of modern taxonomy and research efforts in plant virology. Emphasis will be on conceptual aspects of plant virology, molecular and cellular plant virology, and virus interactions with their plant hosts and insect vectors, as well as conventional and biotechnological approaches to virus disease control.
Entry Level:
Students must have had at least one prerequisite course in biochemistry and/or molecular biology. Some background in protein and nucleic acid chemistry and synthesis is mandatory. Some background in physics, cytology, plant anatomy, and introductory plant pathology would also be helpful.
Course Format:
Lecture - 3 hr. The lecture portion only may be taken with instructor consent. One midterm and one final.
Subject Outline:
1. Development of the virus concept
2. Symptomatology, virus-host plant interactions including intercellular and
intracellular movement of viruses and their components within their plant hosts.
3. The properties and architecture of virus particles
4. The nucleic acids of plant viruses
5. Replication of viruses, satellite RNAs and viroids
6. Mechanisms of virus gene expression and functions of gene products within the plant host.
7. Vector transmission of plant viruses
8. Epidemiology of virus diseases
9. Response of the host to virus infection
10. Virus taxonomy, classification of viruses and properties of specific virus groups/families.
11. Strategies to control virus diseases