Plant expression vectors based on the flock house virus genome

A recombinant plant gene transfer vector comprising

• (i) linked nucleic acid sequences comprising:
• (a) a nucleic acid sequence having the sequence of flock house virus RNA-1;
• and
• (b) a nucleic acid sequence comprising at least one nucleic acid segment of interest, wherein the nucleic acid segment of interest is not from flock house virus and comprises an open reading frame which encodes a plant virus movement protein, a plant virus coat protein, a growth hormone, a toxin, a cytokine, a gene product which confers disease resistance, a gene product which confers pest resistance, a gene product which confers male sterility, antigenic sites on the surface of a virus, a gene product which confers pesticide resistance, an antisense RNA sequence, or an antisense RNA enzyme or wherein said open reading frame comprises a synthetic gene;
• or
• (ii) linked nucleic acid sequences comprising:
• (a) a nucleic acid sequence having the sequence of flock house virus RNA-2;
• and
• (b) a nucleic acid sequence comprising at least one nucleic acid segment of interest, wherein the nucleic acid segment of interest is not from flock house virus and comprises an open reading frame which encodes a plant virus movement protein, a plant virus coat protein, a growth hormone, a toxin, a cytokine, a gene product that confers disease resistance, a gene product that confers pest resistance, a gene product that confers male sterility, antigenic sites on the surface of a virus, a gene product that confers pesticide resistance, an antisense RNA sequence, or an antisense RNA enzyme or wherein said open reading frame comprises a synthetic gene;
• wherein the linked sequences are expressed in a plant cell so as to yield a product of the open reading frame and can be replicated in the presence of flock house virus polymerase in the plant cell, and wherein the vector is a DNA vector or a RNA vector.