Figwort mosaic virus (FiMV) is caulimovirus of the pararetrovirus group, it is very similar to cauliflower mosaic virus(CaMV). FiMV has been sequenced and found to have eight ORFs, seven of which correspond in size and location to loci in CaMV. Like CaMV, FiMV employs methionine t-RNA as initiator of replication(Richins et al 1987). Plant expression vectors have been developed using FiMV (Matai et al 1997).

The Promoter of FiMV has been characterized and found to be constitutive in most all plant tissues, its strength is comparable or somewhat stronger than CaMV promoter and much stronger than the nopoline promoter (Sanger et al 1990 and Matai et al 1997). The FiMV promoter has double enhancers and eliminating one enhancer reduces activity 75%. FiMV has polyA signals similar to CaMV and quite different from animal polA signals. In conclusion, FiMV promoter is a useful alternative to CaMV promoter in crop genetic engineering.

References

• Maiti,I., Gowda, S., Kiernan, J., Ghosh, S. and Shepherd, R. "Promoter/leader deletion analysis and plant expression vectors with the figwort mosaic virus full length transcript promoter containing single or double enhancer domains", 1997, Transgenic Res. 6,143-56

• Richins, R., Scholtof, H. and Shepherd, R. "Sequence of figwort mosaic virus", 1987, Nucl Acids Res 15,8451-66

• Sanfacon, H. "Analysis of figwort mosaic virus polyadenylation signal", 1994, Virology 198,39-49

• Sanger, M., Daubert, S. and Goodman, R. "Characteristics of a strong promoter from figwort mosaic virus: comparison with the analougous 35s promoter from cauliflower mosaic virus and the reulated mannopine synthetase promoter", 1990, Plant Mol Biol 14, 433-43

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