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Mosaic is presumably the most commonly encountered viral disease in roses. We have developed chemo-thermotherapy for eliminating Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV) and Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) from rose plants. Chemotherapy and thermotherapy methods were also applied separately and their antiviral effect compared with the chemo-thermotherapy. In this procedure, infected explants were regenerated on MS medium containing ribavirin at concentrations of 10, 20 and 30 mg/l for 20 and 40 days, followed by a thermotherapy treatment for 30 days at 38 °C for 16 hours and 22 °C for 8 hours per day. The complex of rose viruses (ArMV and PNRSV) were effectively eradicated from regenerated rose plantlets as verified by double- antibody sandwich enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). Thermotherapy alongside with chemotherapy (containing 30 mg/l per one month) during the period of four weeks was the best treatment for plantlet regeneration and virus elimination. The virus elimination efficiency from ArMV, PNRSV and ArMV + PNRSV infected plants were determined as 63.33%, 90.09% and 85.18%, respectively. A detailed procedure for elimination of mixed viruses is described.
 

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Digitoxin is a glycoside isolated from leaves of various species of Digitalis genus that are commonly called foxgloves. Digitoxin is used for chronic cardiac insufficiency, tachyarrhythmia form of atrial fibrillation, paroxysmal ciliary arrhythmia, and paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. 1-Deoxy-d-Xylulose 5-phosphate Reductoisomerase (DXR) is an important rate-limiting enzyme in 2-C-Methyl-d-Erythritol 4-Phosphate (MEP) pathway, and expression level of DXR plays a critical role in control of plant isoprenoid biosynthesis pathway. The effects of different elicitors including putrescine, spermine, and spermidine at concentrations of 50 and 100 mg L^-1 and also Methyl Jasmonate (MJ) at 50, 100, and 200 μM concentrations were explored on transcript levels of DXR gene in cell suspension culture of foxglove (Digitalis purpurea). DXR transcription levels were assessed by the semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Results showed that elicitors had significant effects on the expression level of DXR and contents of cardenolide and digitoxin. The highest digitoxin (61.3 μg g^-1 DW) and cardenolide (1.48% mg^-1 DW) content was observed in 100 mg L^-1 spermidine treatment. In all treatments, the expression of DXR gene was increased compared with the control sample. The highest transcription levels of DXR gene was observed in 50 μM MJ and 100 mg L^-1 putrescine elicitors, which was nine folds higher than the control condition, and the lowest levels were observed for putrescine treatments at concentrations of 50 and 100 mg L^-1, respectively.

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