Infection and coaccumulation of tobacco mosaic virus proteins alter microRNA levels, correlating with symptom and plant development

Infections by plant virus generally cause disease symptoms by interfering with cellular processes. Here we demonstrated that infection of Nicotiana tabacum (N.t) by plant viruses representative of the Tobamoviridae, Potyviridae, and Potexviridae families altered accumulation of certain microRNAs (mi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2007-07, Vol.104 (29), p.12157-12162
Main Authors: Bazzini, A.A, Hopp, H.E, Beachy, R.N, Asurmendi, S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biochemistry
Biological Sciences
Capsid Proteins - metabolism
coat proteins
disease resistance
Flowers
Fluorescence
Gene Silencing
Graftage
infection
Infections
Leaves
MicroRNA
MicroRNAs - metabolism
movement protein
Nicotiana - genetics
Nicotiana - growth & development
Nicotiana - virology
Nicotiana tabacum
Phenotype
Phenotypes
plant development
Plant Diseases - virology
Plant Leaves - cytology
Plant Leaves - virology
Plant Viral Movement Proteins - metabolism
Plants
Plants, Genetically Modified
Potato virus Y
Potyviridae
Protein Binding
protein synthesis
protein-protein interactions
Proteins
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
signs and symptoms (plants)
Symptoms
Tobacco
Tobacco etch virus
Tobacco mosaic virus
Tobacco Mosaic Virus - physiology
Tomato mosaic virus
viral proteins
Viruses
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Description
Summary:Infections by plant virus generally cause disease symptoms by interfering with cellular processes. Here we demonstrated that infection of Nicotiana tabacum (N.t) by plant viruses representative of the Tobamoviridae, Potyviridae, and Potexviridae families altered accumulation of certain microRNAs (miRNAs). A correlation was observed between symptom severity and alteration in levels of miRNAs 156, 160, 164,166, 169, and 171 that is independent of viral posttranscriptional gene silencing suppressor activity. Hybrid transgenic plants that produced tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) movement protein (MP) plus coat protein (CP)T⁴²W (a variant of CP) exhibited disease-like phenotypes, including abnormal plant development. Grafting studies with a plant line in which both transgenes are silenced confirmed that the disease-like phenotypes are due to the coexpression of CP and MP. In hybrid MPxCPT⁴²W plants and TMV-infected plants, miRNAs 156, 164, 165, and 167 accumulated to higher levels compared with nontransgenic and noninfected tissues. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays revealed that MP interacts with CPT⁴²W in vivo and leads to the hypothesis that complexes formed between MP and CP caused increases in miRNAs that result in disease symptoms. This work presents evidence that virus infection and viral proteins influence miRNA balance without affecting posttranscriptional gene silencing and contributes to the hypothesis that viruses exploit miRNA pathways during pathogenesis.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0705114104