The fifth residue of the coat protein of turnip mosaic virus is responsible for long-distance movement in a local-lesion host and aphid transmissibility in a systemic host.

HC-Pro and CP genes of a potyvirus facilitate cell-to-cell movement and are involved in the systemic movement of the viruses. The interaction between HC-Pro and CP is mandatory for aphid transmission. Two turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) isolates, RC4 and YC5, were collected from calla lily plants in Taiwan. The virus derived from the infectious clone pYC5 cannot move systemically in Chenopodium quinoa plants and lacks aphid transmissibility in Nicotiana benthamiana plants, like the initially isolated virus. Sequence analysis revealed that two amino acids P5 and A206, of YC5 CP uniquely differ from RC4 and other TuMV strains. Recombination assay and site-directed mutagenesis revealed that the fifth residue of leucine (L) at the N-terminal region of CP (TuMV-RC4), instead of proline (P) (TuMV-YC5), is critical to permit the systemic spread in C. quinoa plants. Moreover, the single substitution mutant YC5-CPP5L became aphid transmissible similar to RC4. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that YC5-GFP was restricted in the petioles of inoculated leaves, while YC5-CPP5L-GFP translocated through the petioles of inoculated leaves, main stem, and the petioles of upper uninoculated leaves of C. quinoa plants. In addition, YC5-GUS was blocked at the basal part of the petiole connecting to the main stem of the inoculated C. quinoa plants, while YC5-CPP5L-GFP translocated to the upper leaves. Thus, a single amino acid, the residue L5 at the N-terminal region right before the 6DAG8 motif, is critical for the systemic translocation ability of TuMV in a local-lesion host and for aphid transmissibility in a systemic host.

Modification of the N-terminal FWKG-αH1 element of potyviral HC-Pro affects its multiple functions and generates effective attenuated mutants for cross-protection.

Control of plant viruses by cross-protection is limited by the availability of effective protective strains. Incorporation of an NIa-protease processing site in the extreme N-terminal region of the helper component protease (HC-Pro) of turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) resulted in a mutant virus TuHND I that induced highly attenuated symptoms. Recombination analysis verified that two variations, F7I mutation and amino acid 7-upstream-deletion, in HC-Pro co-determined TuHND I attenuation. TuHND I provided complete protection to Nicotiana benthamiana and Brassica campestris subsp. chinensis plants against infection by the severe parental strain. Aphid transmission tests revealed that TuHND I was not aphid-transmissible. An RNA silencing suppression (RSS) assay by agroinfiltration suggested the RSS-defective nature of the mutant HC-Pro. In the context (amino acids 3-17) encompassing the two variations of HC-Pro, we uncovered an FWKG-α-helix 1 (αH1) element that influenced the functions of aphid transmission and RSS, whose motifs were located far downstream. We further demonstrated that HC-Pro F7 was a critical residue on αH1 for HC-Pro functions and that reinstating αH1 in the RSS-defective HC-Pro of TuHND I restored the protein's RSS function. Yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays indicated the FWKG-αH1 element as an integral part of the HC-Pro self-interaction domain. The possibility of regulation of the mechanistically independent functions of RSS and aphid transmission by the FWKG-αH1 element is discussed. Extension of TuMV HC-Pro FWKG-αH1 variations to another potyvirus, zucchini yellow mosaic virus, also generated nonaphid-transmissible cross-protective mutant viruses. Hence, the modification of the FWKG-αH1 element can generate effective attenuated viruses for the control of potyviruses by cross-protection.

Potyviral Gene-Silencing Suppressor HCPro Interacts with Salicylic Acid (SA)-Binding Protein 3 to Weaken SA-Mediated Defense Responses.

The viral infection process is a battle between host defense response and pathogen antagonizing action. Several studies have established a tight link between the viral RNA silencing suppressor (RSS) and the repression of salicylic acid (SA)-mediated defense responses, nonetheless host factors directly linking an RSS and the SA pathway remains unidentified. From yeast two-hybrid analysis, we identified an interaction between the potyviral RSS helper-component proteinase (HCPro) and SA-binding protein SABP3. Co-localization and bimolecular fluorescence complementation analyses validated the direct in vivo interaction between Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) HCPro and the Arabidopsis homologue of SABP3, AtCA1. Additionally, transient expression of TuMV HCPro demonstrated its ability to act as a negative regulator of AtCA1. When the plants of the AtCA1 knockout mutant line were inoculated with TuMV, our results indicated that AtCA1 is essential to restrict viral spreading and accumulation, induce SA accumulation, and trigger the SA pathway. Unexpectedly, the AtCA1 overexpression line also displayed a similar phenotype, suggesting that the constitutive expression of AtCA1 antagonizes the SA pathway. Taken together, our results depict AtCA1 as an essential regulator of SA defense responses. Moreover, the interaction of potyviral HCPro with this regulator compromises the SA pathway to weaken host defense responses and facilitate viral infection.

A Strategy for Generating a Broad-Spectrum Monoclonal Antibody and Soluble Single-Chain Variable Fragments against Plant Potyviruses.

Potyviruses are major pathogens that often cause mixed infection in calla lilies. To reduce the time and cost of virus indexing, a detection method for the simultaneous targeting of multiple potyviruses was developed by generating a broad-spectrum monoclonal antibody (MAb) for detecting the greatest possible number of potyviruses. The conserved 121-amino-acid core regions of the capsid proteins of Dasheen mosaic potyvirus (DsMV), Konjak mosaic potyvirus (KoMV), and Zantedeschia mild mosaic potyvirus (ZaMMV) were sequentially concatenated and expressed as a recombinant protein for immunization. After hybridoma cell fusion and selection, one stable cell line that secreted a group-specific antibody, named C4 MAb, was selected. In the reaction spectrum test, the C4 MAb detected at least 14 potyviruses by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (I-ELISA) and Western blot analysis. Furthermore, the variable regions of the heavy (VH) and light (VL) chains of the C4 MAb were separately cloned and constructed as single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) for expression in Escherichia coli. Moreover, the pectate lyase E (PelE) signal peptide of Erwinia chrysanthemi S3-1 was added to promote the secretion of C4 scFvs into the medium. According to Western blot analysis and I-ELISA, the soluble C4 scFv (VL-VH) fragment showed a binding specificity similar to that of the C4 MAb. Our results demonstrate that a recombinant protein derived from fusion of the conserved regions of viral proteins has the potential to produce a broad-spectrum MAb against a large group of viruses and that the PelE signal peptide can improve the secretion of scFvs in E. coli.

Application of an Integrated Omics Approach for Identifying Host Proteins That Interact With Odontoglossum ringspot virus Capsid Protein.

The glutamic acid at position 100 (E(100)) in the capsid protein (CP) of Odontoglossum ringspot virus (ORSV) plays an important role in long-distance viral movement in Nicotiana benthamiana. The ORSV(E100A) mutant, which has a glutamic acid to alanine substitution, shows a loss of systemic infectivity in N. benthamiana. Transmission electron microscopy and size-exclusion chromatography assays showed that E(100) is essential for CP-CP interaction and viral particle assembly. To identify the ORSV triggering or response genes and CP-interacting proteins (CP-IP), an integrated omics approach based on next-generation sequencing and proteomics profiling was used in this study. The whole-transcriptomes of healthy and ORSV-infected leaves of N. benthamiana were analyzed, and the gene information was used to create a N. benthamiana protein database that was used for protein identification following mass spectrometry analysis. The integrated omics approach identified several putative host proteins that interact with ORSV CP(WT) and were categorized as photosystem subunits, defense-associated proteins, and cell division components. The expression pattern and CP interaction of these CP-IP were examined by semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and an in vitro binding assay, respectively, to verify the in silico data. Among these proteins, a proteinase inhibitor of N. benthamiana (NbPI2) was highly associated with CP(E100A) as compared with CP(WT), and NbPI1 and NbPI2 were highly induced in ORSV-infected plants. NbPI1- and NbPI2-silenced plants (via a Tobacco rattle virus-induced gene-silencing system) did not exhibit a difference in ORSV infection. Thus, whether NbPI1 and NbPI2 play a role in plant immunity requires further investigation. In summary, the integrated omics approach provides massive and valuable information to identify the ORSV CP-IP and these CP-IP will help us to understand the movement of this virus and plant-virus interaction.