Patent ID: 8629334

Claim:
A method of transfecting a citrus tree with a gene of interest having a 5′ end and 3′ end, said method comprising inoculating said citrus tree with a sample comprising at least one Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) vector engineered to comprise a construct comprising a heterologous gene of interest, said gene of interest having a 5′ end and a 3′ end; and a heterologous subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) control element (CE) positioned upstream of the 5′ end of said gene of interest such that the sgRNA CE controls expression of the gene of interest, wherein said construct is inserted between CPm and CP genes of the CTV vector; and growing said inoculated citrus tree under conditions to allow a systemic infection of said citrus tree with said at least one CTV vector; wherein expression of said gene of interest occurs for at least two years in the citrus tree with a majority of virus in the systemic infection comprising said CTV vector.