Viroid RNA turnover: characterization of the subgenomic RNAs of potato spindle tuber viroid accumulating in infected tissues provides insights into decay pathways operating in vivo.

ABSTRACT: While biogenesis of viroid RNAs is well-known, how they decay is restricted to data involving host RNA silencing. Here we report an alternative degradation pathway operating on potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd), the type species of nuclear-replicating viroids (family Pospiviroidae). Northern-blot hybridizations with full- and partial-length probes revealed a set of PSTVd (+) subgenomic (sg)RNAs in early-infected eggplant, some partially overlapping and reaching levels comparable to those of the genomic circular and linear forms. Part of the PSTVd (+) sgRNAs were also observed in Nicotiana benthamiana (specifically in the nuclei) and tomato, wherein they have been overlooked due to their low accumulation. Primer extensions of representative (+) sgRNAs failed to detect a common 5' terminus

SUBMITTER: Minoia S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4344493 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature