Abstract: A DNA sequence encoding a potato leafroll virus coat protein having at least one internal translation initiation codon in a different reading frame than the native PLRV coat protein DNA sequence altered to a non-initiator codon is provided. Two translation initiation sites at the start of a 17kd open reading frame in a different reading frame than the native PLRV coat protein DNA sequence are preferably altered A stronger stop codon is also provided in the modified PLRV DNA sequence. The modified DNA sequence having the internal translation initiation codons at the start of the 17kd open reading frame altered to non-initiator codons can be used in a gene to transform plants of the Solanaceae family to obtain transgenic plants resistant to PLRV. A synthetic modified potato leafroll virus DNA sequence is also provided which has the changes in the translation initiation sites and is further made to be more "plant-like".