Abstract: The results of cloning and sequencing of the gene encoding coat protein (CP) of potato virus Y (PVY) with PCR technique are reported in this paper. The virus RNA was extracted from tobacco leaf infected with PVY. The first strand of cDNA was synthesized from viral RNA template primed with synthetic 3′ PCR primer using AMV reverse transcriptase. A DNA fragment with 0.8 kb was obtained after 30 PCR amplification circles. The restriction map of the DNA fragment has been analyzed and its whole DNA sequence has been determined. The results show that the entire gene encoding the coat protein of PVY has been cloned. The homologies of the DNA sequences and the deduced amino acid sequence between the PVY shown here and the N-strain of PVY published abroad are 97.8% and 97% respectively. The work of transferring the CP gene into po,ato to obtain transgenic plants that resist to PVY infection is in progress.

Key words: Potato virus Y, Virus coat protein gene, Plant genetic engineering of Virus-resistance, PCR