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Plants
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Plant Defense Responses against Viruses
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Plant Defense Responses against Viruses

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 October 2022) | Viewed by 9318

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Cillo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
IPSP, Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy, Bari, Italy
Interests: plant viruses; RNA silencing-mediated defense mechanisms; virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS); role of microRNAs in plant defense responses; plant–virus interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Livia Stavolone

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
1. Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy, Bari, Italy
2. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria
Interests: plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses; plant viruses; virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS); tropical crops

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant defense responses against viruses and molecular plant–virus interactions have been studied by   numerous researchers worldwide in recent decades. It is well known that studies in plant virology have had a profound influence on what we currently know about the general mechanisms governing plant cell biology and physiology. The close connection between the host plant cell and the viral life cycle led virologists working at the forefront of the field to perform exploratory research work in plant sciences. Many of the interactions between plants and viruses, with the emergence of typical disease phenotypes, as well as virus–virus and virus–vector interactions in plants, are now known to be manifestations of RNA silencing mechanisms. In turn, RNA silencing-based defense mechanisms are connected to signaling mechanisms, leading to systemic acquired resistance (SAR) and induced systemic resistance (ISR), which are orchestrated by stress-activated hormones.

According to recent studies, antiviral defense responses also rely, just like responses against fungi, bacteria, and other pathogens, on the specific recognition of effectors by host receptors. This virus recognition results in the activation of pathogen‐associated molecular pattern (PAMP)‐triggered immunity (PTI) and effector‐triggered immunity (ETI), with an effective immune response mediated by resistance proteins. A form of antiviral PTI has been integrated into the wider scenario of plant–virus interactions, since it has been proposed that not only viral proteins but also dsRNA produced by RNA silencing‐based defenses may act as viral PAMPs (VAMPs), interacting with pattern recognition receptors.

For the present Special Issue of Plants, we invite you to submit research articles, review articles, short notes, and communications related to all the aspects of plant defense responses to viruses. This Special Issue will provide an overview of recent research, including fundamental as well as applied studies, aiming to increase our current knowledge of this fascinating field of research. We look forward to your contribution.

Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Cillo
Guest Editor
Dr. Livia Stavolone
Co-Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Virus infection
  • plant–virus interactions
  • RNA silencing
  • antiviral defense
  • defense signaling
  • systemic acquired resistance
  • induced systemic resistance
  • plant immune system
  • genetic resistance

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2963 KiB  
Communication
A Viral Suppressor of RNA Silencing May Be Targeting a Plant Defence Pathway Involving Fibrillarin
by Miryam Pérez-Cañamás, Michael Taliansky and Carmen Hernández
Plants 2022, 11(15), 1903; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11151903 - 22 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1634
Abstract
To establish productive infections, viruses must be able both to subdue the host metabolism for their own benefit and to counteract host defences. This frequently results in the establishment of viral–host protein–protein interactions that may have either proviral or antiviral functions. The study [...] Read more.
To establish productive infections, viruses must be able both to subdue the host metabolism for their own benefit and to counteract host defences. This frequently results in the establishment of viral–host protein–protein interactions that may have either proviral or antiviral functions. The study of such interactions is essential for understanding the virus–host interplay. Plant viruses with RNA genomes are typically translated, replicated, and encapsidated in the cytoplasm of infected cells. Despite this, a significant array of their encoded proteins has been reported to enter the nucleus, often showing high accumulation at subnuclear structures such as the nucleolus and/or Cajal bodies. However, the biological significance of such a distribution pattern is frequently unknown. Here, we explored whether the nucleolar/Cajal body localization of protein p37 of Pelargonium line pattern virus (PLPV, genus Pelarspovirus, family Tombusviridae), might be related to potential interactions with the nucleolar/Cajal body marker proteins, fibrillarin and coilin. The results revealed that p37, which has a dual role as coat protein and as suppressor of RNA silencing, a major antiviral system in plants, is able to associate with these cellular factors. Analysis of (wildtype and/or mutant) PLPV accumulation in plants with up- or downregulated levels of fibrillarin or coilin have suggested that the former might be involved in an as yet unknown antiviral pathway, which may be targeted by p37. The results suggest that the growing number of functions uncovered for fibrillarin can be wider and may prompt future investigations to unveil the plant antiviral responses in which this key nucleolar component may take part. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Defense Responses against Viruses)
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26 pages, 9435 KiB  
Article
Transcriptomic Reprogramming, Alternative Splicing and RNA Methylation in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Plants in Response to Potato Virus Y Infection
by Anna Glushkevich, Nadezhda Spechenkova, Igor Fesenko, Andrey Knyazev, Viktoriya Samarskaya, Natalia O. Kalinina, Michael Taliansky and Andrew J. Love
Plants 2022, 11(5), 635; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11050635 - 25 Feb 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3802
Abstract
Plant-virus interactions are greatly influenced by environmental factors such as temperatures. In virus-infected plants, enhanced temperature is frequently associated with more severe symptoms and higher virus content. However, the mechanisms involved in controlling the temperature regulation of plant-virus interactions are poorly characterised. To [...] Read more.
Plant-virus interactions are greatly influenced by environmental factors such as temperatures. In virus-infected plants, enhanced temperature is frequently associated with more severe symptoms and higher virus content. However, the mechanisms involved in controlling the temperature regulation of plant-virus interactions are poorly characterised. To elucidate these further, we analysed the responses of potato plants cv Chicago to infection by potato virus Y (PVY) at normal (22 °C) and elevated temperature (28 °C), the latter of which is known to significantly increase plant susceptibility to PVY. Using RNAseq analysis, we showed that single and combined PVY and heat-stress treatments caused dramatic changes in gene expression, affecting the transcription of both protein-coding and non-coding RNAs. Among the newly identified genes responsive to PVY infection, we found genes encoding enzymes involved in the catalysis of polyamine formation and poly ADP-ribosylation. We also identified a range of novel non-coding RNAs which were differentially produced in response to single or combined PVY and heat stress, that consisted of antisense RNAs and RNAs with miRNA binding sites. Finally, to gain more insights into the potential role of alternative splicing and epitranscriptomic RNA methylation during combined stress conditions, direct RNA nanopore sequencing was performed. Our findings offer insights for future studies of functional links between virus infections and transcriptome reprogramming, RNA methylation and alternative splicing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Defense Responses against Viruses)
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10 pages, 14177 KiB  
Article
Argonaute 2 Controls Antiviral Activity against Sweet Potato Mild Mottle Virus in Nicotiana benthamiana
by Erzsébet Kenesi, Juan-Jose Lopez-Moya, László Orosz, József Burgyán and Lóránt Lakatos
Plants 2021, 10(5), 867; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10050867 - 26 Apr 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2930
Abstract
RNA silencing is a sequence specific post-transcriptional mechanism regulating important biological processes including antiviral defense in plants. Argonaute (AGO) proteins, the catalytic subunits of the silencing complexes, are loaded with small RNAs to execute the sequence specific RNA cleavage or translational inhibition. Plants [...] Read more.
RNA silencing is a sequence specific post-transcriptional mechanism regulating important biological processes including antiviral defense in plants. Argonaute (AGO) proteins, the catalytic subunits of the silencing complexes, are loaded with small RNAs to execute the sequence specific RNA cleavage or translational inhibition. Plants encode several AGO proteins and a few of them, especially AGO1 and AGO2, have been shown to be required for antiviral silencing. Previously, we have shown that the P1 protein of the sweet potato mild mottle virus (SPMMV) suppresses the primary RNA silencing response by inhibiting AGO1. To analyze the role of AGO2 in antiviral defense against the SPMMV, we performed a comparative study using a wild type and ago2−/− mutant Nicotiana benthamiana. Here we show that the AGO2 of N. benthamiana attenuates the symptoms of SPMMV infection. Upon SPMMV infection the levels of AGO2 mRNA and protein are greatly increased. Moreover, we found that AGO2 proteins are loaded with SPMMV derived viral small RNAs as well as with miRNAs. Our results indicate that AGO2 protein takes over the place of AGO1 to confer antiviral silencing. Finally, we provide a plausible explanation for the AGO2 mediated recovery of an SPMMV-infected sweet potato. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Defense Responses against Viruses)
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