Project description:Gene expression analysis of chrysanthemum infected with three different viruses including Cucumber mosaic virus, Tomato spotted wilt virus, and Potato virus X have been performed using the chrysanthemum 135K microarray.
Project description:Gene expression analysis of chrysanthemum infected with three different viruses including Cucumber mosaic virus, Tomato spotted wilt virus, and Potato virus X have been performed using the chrysanthemum 135K microarray. Mock and each virus infected chrysanthemum plants were subjected for microarray analysis.
Project description:Plant viruses are a major threat for a wide range of host species, causing substantial losses in agriculture. Particularly, Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) evokes severe symptoms, thus dramatically limiting yield. Activation of plant immunity is associated with changes in the gene expression and consequently, cellular proteome to ensure virus resistance. Proteomics proved to be an extremely valuable tool for discovering multiple targets for the rational design of plant protection strategies. Herein, we studied two cultivars of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) resistant ´Heliana´ and susceptible ´Vanda´. Plant cotyledons were mechanically inoculated with CMV isolate PK1, and systemic leaves were harvested at 33 days post-inoculation. Upon protein extraction and filter-aided sample preparations, peptides were profiled by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and comprehensively quantified by ion mobility enhanced mass spectrometry. From 1,516 reproducibly quantified proteins using label-free approach, 133 were differentially abundant among genotypes or treatments by strict statistic and effect size criteria. Pigments and hydrogen peroxide measurements corroborated proteomic findings. Advanced bioinformatics revealed a modular network of affected host proteins. Direct comparison of both genotypes in the uninfected state highlighted more abundant photosynthetic and development-related proteins in resistant cucumber cultivar. Long-term CMV infection showed worse preservation of energy processes and less robust translation in susceptible cultivar versus resistant genotype. Contrary, susceptible cultivar had numerous more abundant stress and defense-related proteins. We proposed promising targets for functional validation in transgenic lines a step toward durable virus resistance in cucurbits and other crops.
Project description:Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) is a severe threat to melon production worldwide. At present, there are no cultivars available on the market which show an effective resistance or tolerance to CGMMV infection; only wild Cucumis species were reported as resistant. Germplasm accessions of Cucumis melo, as well as C. anguria, C. ficifolius, C. myriocarpus and C. metuliferus, were mechanically infected with isolates belonging to the European and Asian strain of CGMMV and screened for resistance by scoring symptom severity and comparing the accumulation of virus by qRT-PCR. The wild species C. anguria and C. ficifolius showed no symptoms and did not accumulate CGGMV following inoculation, while C. metuliferus was highly susceptible to the isolates of both strains of CGMMV. The virus accumulated also in C. myriocarpus and the European isolate produced symptoms, but the Asian isolate did not. Thirty C. melo accessions were susceptible to CGMMV. An isolate-dependent expression of symptoms was observed in 16 melon accessions: they showed mild and severe symptoms at 14 and 21 days after inoculation with the European and Asian isolate, respectively. Freeman's Cucumber showed few or no symptoms following inoculation with the isolate of either CGMMV strain. This particular accession also showed reduced virus accumulation, whereas most other tested germplasm accessions showed significantly higher viral loads and, therefore, may well be a candidate for breeding programs aiming to reduce the losses produced by CGMMV with resistant commercial melon cultivars.
Project description:Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), as a typical seed-borne virus, causes costly and devastating diseases in the vegetable trade worldwide. Genetic sources for resistance to CGMMV in cucurbits are limited, and environmentally safe approaches for curbing the accumulation and spread of seed-transmitted viruses and cultivating completely resistant plants are needed. Here, we describe the design and application of RNA interference-based technologies, containing artificial microRNA (amiRNA) and synthetic trans-acting small interfering RNA (syn-tasiRNA), against conserved regions of different strains of the CGMMV genome. We used a rapid transient sensor system to identify effective anti-CGMMV amiRNAs. A virus seed transmission assay was developed, showing that the externally added polycistronic amiRNA and syn-tasiRNA can successfully block the accumulation of CGMMV in cucumber, but different virulent strains exhibited distinct influences on the expression of amiRNA due to the activity of the RNA-silencing suppressor. We also established stable transgenic cucumber plants expressing polycistronic amiRNA, which conferred disease resistance against CGMMV, and no sequence mutation was observed in CGMMV. This study demonstrates that RNA interference-based technologies can effectively prevent the occurrence and accumulation of CGMMV. The results provide a basis to establish and fine-tune approaches to prevent and treat seed-based transmission viral infections.
Project description:We constructed two independent small RNA libraries from leaves of mock and Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) infected tomatoes, respectively, and sequenced with a high-throughput Illumina Solexa system. Based on sequence analysis and hairpin structure prediction, a total of 50 known miRNAs (32 families) and 568 potentially candidate miRNAs (PC-miRNAs) were firstly identified in tomato, with 12 known miRNAs and 154 PC-miRNAs supported by both the 3p and 5p strands. Comparative analysis revealed 79 miRNAs (including 15 novel tomato miRNAs) and 40 PC-miRNAs were differentially expressed between the two libraries. Among these virus responsive miRNAs, expression patters of some novel tomato miRNAs and PC-miRNAs in mock and in CMV-Fny infected tomatoes were further validated by qRT-PCR. Moreover, we revealed 563 potential targets for 66 tomato miRNAs by the recently developed degradome sequencing approach, including 124 targets for 7 new tomato miRNAs and 97 targets for 24 PC-miRNAs. Target annotation for the newly identified miRNA and PC-miRNAs indicated that they were involved in multiple biological processes, including transcriptional regulation and virus resistance. Gene ontology analysis of these target transcripts demonstrated that stress response- and photosynthesis-related genes were most affected in CMV-Fny infected tomatoes. Examination of small RNAs and their targets in mock and CMV-Fny infected tomatoes.
Project description:Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), a critical plant virus, has caused significant economic losses in cucurbit crops worldwide. It has not been proved that CGMMV can be transmitted by an insect vector. In this study, the physical contact transmission of CGMMV by Myzus persicae in Nicotiana benthamiana plants was confirmed under laboratory conditions. The acquisition rate increased with time, and most aphids acquired CGMMV at 72 h of the acquisition access period (AAP). Besides, the acquired CGMMV was retained in the aphids for about 12 h, which was efficiently transmitted back to the healthy N. benthamiana plants. More importantly, further experiments suggested that the transmission was mediated by physical contact rather than the specific interaction between insect vector and plant virus. The results obtained in our study contribute to the development of new control strategies for CGMMV in the field.
Project description:RNA silencing has an important role mediating sequence-specific virus resistance. Here, we analyzed in detail the interference of Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV) with the RNA silencing machinery of Arabidopsis thaliana. We detected that CMV infection induced the production of viral small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs) that account for a significant part of the sRNome affecting the levels of other sRNA classes. Furthermore, we analyzed the incorporation of vsiRNAs into the main ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins with a described antiviral role and the viral RNA silencing suppressor (VRS) 2b, by combining protein immunoprecipitation with sRNA high-throughput sequencing. vsiRNAs accumulated to high levels in AGO2, followed by AGO1, AGO5 and AGO7. Interestingly, vsiRNAs represented a significant percentage of AGO-loaded sRNAs and displaced other endogenous sRNAs. As a countermeasure, the VSR 2b loaded vsiRNAs and mRNA-derived siRNAs, which affected the expression of the genes they derived from. Additionally, we analyzed how vsiRNAs incorporated into the endogenous RNA silencing pathways by exploring their target mRNAs using parallel analysis of RNA end (PARE) sequencing. This strategy allowed us to identify 61 genes with degradome data supporting their vsiRNA-mediated cleavage. This work exemplifies the complex relationship of RNA viruses with the endogenous RNA silencing machinery and the multiple aspects of virus resistance and virulence that this interaction induces.