Project description:The propensity of viruses to acquire genetic material from relatives and possibly from infected hosts makes them excellent candidates as vectors for horizontal gene transfer. However, virus-mediated acquisition of host genetic material, as deduced from historical events, appears to be rare. Here, we report spontaneous and surprisingly efficient generation of hybrid virus/host DNA molecules in the form of minicircles during infection of Beta vulgaris by Beet curly top Iran virus (BCTIV), a single-stranded DNA virus. The hybrid minicircles replicate, become encapsidated into viral particles, and spread systemically throughout infected plants in parallel with the viral infection. Importantly, when co-infected with BCTIV, B. vulgaris DNA captured in minicircles replicate and is transcribed in other plant species that are sensitive to BCTIV infection. Thus, we have likely documented in real time the initial steps of a possible path of virus-mediated horizontal transfer of chromosomal DNA between plant species.
Project description:Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) and Beet soil-borne mosaic virus (BSBMV) belong to the genus Benyvirus. Both viruses share a similar genome organization, but disease development induced in their major host plant sugar beet displays striking differences. BNYVV induces excessive lateral root (LR) formation by hijacking auxin-regulated pathways; whereas BSBMV infected roots appear asymptomatic. To elucidate transcriptomic changes associated with the virus-specific disease development of BNYVV and BSBMV, we performed a comparative transcriptome analysis of a virus infected susceptible sugar beet genotype.
Project description:Co-infection of none-coding satellite RNAs (sat-RNAs) usually inhibits replication and attenuates disease symptoms of helper viruses. Here we find that the sat-RNA of Beet black scorch virus (BBSV) enhances both the accumulation and the systemic infection of its helper virus in the Nicotiana benthamiana (N. benthamiana). Besides, the infection of BBSV is higher efficient in low temperature (18ºC) than room temperature (25ºC), suggesting that BBSV is temperature sensitive. To explore the effect of temperature and sat-RNA on the silencing induced by BBSV, we cloned and sequenced the total small RNAs produced during infection of BBSV alone or with its sat-RNA under different temperature. Our results shows that the size profile of the siRNAs derived from either BBSV or coinfection with sat-RNA are 22 nucleotide (nt), followed by 21-nt reads and other length reads. Notably, more than 80% of the total small RNAs sequenced from plants infected with BBSV alone were BBSV-siRNAs, whereas the abundance of sat-RNA-derived siRNAs were higher than BBSV-siRNAs in the co-infected plants, indicating sat-RNA involved in gene silencing as a surrogacy of BBSV. Interestingly, the 5′ termini of siRNAs derived from BBSV and sat-RNA were dominated by Uridines (U) and Adenines (A), respectively. Consistently, the infection of BBSV alone or with sat-RNA induces high accumulation of Argonaute 1 (AGO1) and AGO2, respectively. Our work reveals the profiles of siRNAs of BBSV and sat-RNA and provides a new clue to investigate the complicated interaction between the helper virus and sat-RNA.
Project description:Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) is an economically important crop and provides nearly one third of the global sugar production annually. The beet cyst nematode (BCN), Heterodera schachtii, causes major yield losses in sugar beet worldwide. The most effective and economic approach to control this nematode is growing tolerant or resistant cultivars. To identify candidate genes involved in susceptibility and resistance, the transcriptome of sugar beet and BCN in compatible and incompatible interactions at two time points, was studied using mRNA-seq. In total, 16 cDNA libraries were constructed and 442 691 707raw reads were obtained. In the compatible interaction, many alterations in phytohormone-related genes were detected. The effect of exogenous application of methyl jasmonate and ethephon was therefore investigated and the results revealed significant reduction of J2s infection and female development rates in treated susceptible plants. Our results revealed candidate genes putatively involved in the Hs1pro1-induced resistance, such as genes related to phenylpropanoid pathway, putative R genes and genes encoding F-box proteins, zinc finger and NAC transcription factors, ABC transporters, BURP and CYSTM proteins. Also, the transcriptome of BCN in the infected root samples was analyzed and several nematode effector genes were found. Our study is the first investigation of the transcriptome profile in the compatible and incompatible interactions between sugar beet and BCN.
Project description:Title : Characterization of genes differentially expressed in roots of transgenic arabidopsis lines expressing the p25 protein of beet necrotic yellow vein virus.<br> <br> Biological question : <br> Rhizomania ("crazy root") is a severe disease of sugar beet caused by beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV), which is transmitted by the soil-inhabiting fungus Polymyxa betae. Symptoms of virus infection are characterized by a constricted tap root and a massive proliferation of fine rootlets that often undergo necrosis. BNYVV RNA-3 encodes a 25 kDa (p25) which is an important determinant of leaf symptom phenotype. It also governs BNYVV invasion of the plant root system and induction of rootlet proliferation in sugar beet.<br> In order to obtain a better understanding of molecular aspects of disease development in roots and to characterize specific host genes involved in response to viral infection, transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressors of p25 viral protein was obtained and better characterized. It was shown that transgenic plants that efficiently expressed p25 protein produced more lateral roots. <br> Comparative analysis (microarray) was performed between wild type Arabidopsis roots and transgenic Arabidopsis roots expressing p25 protein, in order to identify Arabidopsis genes differentially expressed in response to p25 viral protein.<br> <br> Experiment description: <br> Seeds were surface sterilized, chilled at 4C for 4 days, and then germinated and grown on square Petri plates containing sterilized Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 1% sucrose. Such stock plates were arranged vertically in plastic racks and placed into growth chamber. After 5 days, plants were transferred carefully onto fresh MS medium big round plates. On each plate, 60 Wild Type (WT) plantlets were transferred on the half right of the plate, and 60 transgenic plantlets (B, E or T lines) were transferred on the half left of the plate. Plates were arranged horizontally and placed into growth chamber. <br> <br>Experiment 1 : 5 plates containing WT0A control plants and B0A transgenic plants. <br> <br>Experiment 2 : 5 plates containing WT1 control plants and B transgenic plants. <br>5 plates containing WT2 control plants and E transgenic plants. <br>5 plates containing WT3 control plants and T transgenic plants. <br> <br>Plants were harvested after 7 days (experiment 1) or 12 days (experiment 2), and WT roots or transgenic roots were pooled and conserved at -80C.
Project description:Parental flies (y1v1;P{TRiP.JF01138}attP2 and y1w*;P{Act5C-GAL4}25FO1/CyO,y+) were mated and 4-7 day old flies were used for all subsequent experiments. dSTING RNAi flies expressed the dsRNA hairpin targeting dSTING and had straight wings, while sibling flies not expressing dSTING dsRNA had curly wings. Pathogens used for inoculation were Listeria monocytogenes, Drosophila C Virus (DCV), and Insect Iridescent virus 6 (IIV6), at the following concentrations: 1e7 CFU/ml, 5e7 TCID50/ml, 5e6 TCID50/ml. Mock inoculation was performed with PBS. Whole flies were homogenized 24 or 72 h post-infection.