Patent ID: 8058511

Claim:
A method of expressing first and second polynucleotides of interest in a plant, comprising: (a) introducing a carrier vector and a producer vector into a plant; wherein: (i) (A) the carrier vector includes a first polynucleotide of interest, and a functional replicase encoding component from a first plant virus; and (B) the producer vector includes a second polynucleotide of interest, and further includes at least one component from a second plant virus, but lacks a functional replicase encoding component; or (ii) (A) the carrier vector includes a first polynucleotide of interest, and a functional movement protein encoding component from a first plant virus; and (B) the producer vector includes a second polynucleotide of interest, and further includes at least one component from a second plant virus, but lacks a functional movement protein encoding component; wherein the first and second polynucleotides encode polypeptides that are polypeptide chains of a multimeric protein, or wherein the first and second polynucleotides encode therapeutically active proteins; (b) maintaining the plant under conditions and for a time sufficient to allow the first vector to complement the second vector, and the second vector to complement the first vector such that both the first vector and the second vector move systemically in the plant; and (c) maintaining the plant under conditions and for a time sufficient that the first and second polynucleotides are expressed in at least some plant cells.