Plant Virus Diseases: Update and Perspectives

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests and Weeds".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 August 2024 | Viewed by 1668

Special Issue Editor

Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
Interests: virus evolution; RNAi; cap-independent translation; host resistance; phytohormones

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Viral diseases are behind most current epidemics and are challenging to manage. Due to the highly mutable character of viral genomes, viruses can evolve fast and adapt to new conditions, which allows them to expand their hosts' range (by overcoming resistance), and they can survive in many different ecological conditions. To successfully infect hosts, viruses use many strategies to hijack host machinery for replication and translation, and encode proteins to suppress host defense responses. To ensure virus infection in a plant population, viruses modulate the ecosystem that comprises plants, vectors, non-vectors, microbes, etc., to sustain in the environment. Current research shows that viruses can affect the secondary metabolites in plants, including phytohormones that play a critical role in plant-biotic and plant-abiotic interactions. However, critical research gaps remain on how ecology consisting of biotic and abiotic factors influences the viral molecular interactions with the host/vector, which could be engineered to better manage viral diseases and increase the longevity of host resistance in the field conditions.     

This Special Issue seeks to publish studies on viral proteins and RNA structures that facilitate the establishment of infection in plants, the effect of virus-induced/suppressed secondary metabolites on plant-biotic/abiotic interactions, and the environment-dependent dynamic functionality of viral proteins. All types of articles, such as original research, opinions, and reviews, are welcome

Dr. Sayanta Bera
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • phytochemistry
  • cap-independent translation
  • vector transmission
  • Systemic acquired resistance
  • RNAi

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4551 KiB  
Article
Functional Characterization of RNA Silencing Suppressor Encoded by Cotton Leafroll Dwarf Virus
by Mary F. Akinyuwa and Sung-Hwan Kang
Agriculture 2024, 14(2), 194; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14020194 - 26 Jan 2024
Viewed by 632
Abstract
The P0 proteins encoded by Cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) serve as viral suppressors of RNA silencing (VSR). CLRDV P0 proteins share a VSR-associated F-box-like motif. This study investigated the role of specific amino acid (aa) residues within the F-box-like motif, elucidating their [...] Read more.
The P0 proteins encoded by Cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) serve as viral suppressors of RNA silencing (VSR). CLRDV P0 proteins share a VSR-associated F-box-like motif. This study investigated the role of specific amino acid (aa) residues within the F-box-like motif, elucidating their implications for VSR potency, pathogenicity, and intracellular localization. Analysis of various single aa substitution mutants within the F-box-like motif to understand their effect on P0 proteins’ VSR potency revealed that specific mutations significantly affect P0’s ability to suppress RNA silencing, emphasizing the crucial role of the F-box-like motif. Subcellular localization examinations indicated that the P0 proteins associate with the nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum, which may be linked to their VSR function. Also, the induction of hypersensitive response (HR)-like symptoms and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species by P0 proteins was observed, suggesting their role as pathogenicity factors. These results indicated that specific mutations significantly affect the functions of multifaceted P0 proteins, highlighting the F-box-like motif’s crucial role. Our study highlights the importance of further molecular investigations to elucidate how different CLRDV strains manifest various disease symptoms and severity. This is crucial considering the global economic importance of cotton and the potential emergence of more threatening CLRDV isolates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Virus Diseases: Update and Perspectives)
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14 pages, 2468 KiB  
Article
Diversity and Traits of Multiple Biotic Stressors Elicit Differential Defense Responses in Legumes
by Saumik Basu, Natalia Moroz, Benjamin W. Lee, Kiwamu Tanaka, Liesl Oeller, Chase W. Baerlocher and David W. Crowder
Agriculture 2023, 13(11), 2093; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13112093 - 03 Nov 2023
Viewed by 640
Abstract
In agroecosystems, plants frequently confront multiple biotic stressors, including herbivores and pathogens. The nature of these interactions plays a crucial role in mediating the activation of plant defense mechanisms. However, induction of plant chemical defenses has been more well studied than the induction [...] Read more.
In agroecosystems, plants frequently confront multiple biotic stressors, including herbivores and pathogens. The nature of these interactions plays a crucial role in mediating the activation of plant defense mechanisms. However, induction of plant chemical defenses has been more well studied than the induction of physical defenses. Here, we assessed the physical and chemical defense responses of pea (Pisum sativum) plants after exposure to three stressors: a vector herbivore (pea aphid, Acrythosiphon pisum), a non-vector herbivore (pea leaf weevil, Sitona lineatus), and a virus (Pea enation mosaic virus, PEMV). We used various histochemical staining techniques show that viruliferous A. pisum (transmitting PEMV) strongly induced callose deposition (aniline blue staining) and antioxidant-mediated defenses (DAB and NBT staining) in peas, primarily through accumulating reactive oxygen species (ROS). High-throughput phenotyping showed that viruliferous aphids reduced plant photosynthetic efficiency, but plants infected with PEMV had increased cell death (trypan blue staining). However, herbivory by aphids and weevils did not strongly induce defenses in peas, even though weevil feeding significantly reduced pea leaf area. These results show that not all herbivores induce strong defensive responses, and plant responses to vector species depends on their virus infection status. More broadly, our results indicate that variable stressors differentially regulate various plant responses through intricate chemical and physical defense pathways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Virus Diseases: Update and Perspectives)
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