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Recent Research on the Interaction between Plant and Pathogen

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2025 | Viewed by 8046

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119899, Russia
Interests: plant virus; plant molecular pharming; plant methanol; methanol-inducible genes; plant-virus interaction; pectin methylesterase; plasmodesmata; intercellular transport; tobacco mosic virus

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants are continuously attacked by numerous pathogens of different natures—viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc. In response to this invasion, plants activate a complex immune system and launch various local and systemic defense reactions. During co-evolution, pathogens acquire the ability to exploit these processes for their benefit, hijacking cellular signaling pathways and overcoming plant defense. In this “arms race”, the plant also adjusts its immune system and evolves to gain new features to enable successful resistance to pathogens. However, there are examples when plant response to different stresses results in enhanced protection against one type of pathogen (e.g., bacteria) but increased sensitivity and creation of favorable conditions for the others (e.g., viral pathogens). The identification of the novel factors and regulatory pathways involved in this finely tuned and sophisticated interplay between plants and pathogens reveals new targets for the development of approaches for crop protection and the prevention of infection. The understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying plant–pathogen interaction and plant resistance/susceptibility to the pathogen expands our fundamental knowledge and opens perspectives for a reduction in economic losses caused by diseases of agricultural plants.

This Special Issue is open for the submission of original research papers, reviews, and perspective articles covering different aspects of plant–pathogen interactions with a focus on (but not limited to) molecular mechanisms of viral and bacterial infections and the ways the pathogens hijacking plant cell to exploit plant defence reactions for their own benefit.

Dr. Tatiana V. Komarova
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • biotic stress
  • plant–virus interactions
  • intercellular communication
  • plasmodesmata
  • callose
  • plant pathogen resistance
  • plant defense

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2721 KiB  
Article
Using an RNA Aptamer to Inhibit the Action of Effector Proteins of Plant Pathogens
by Inna A. Abdeeva, Liliya G. Maloshenok, Gennady V. Pogorelko and Sergey A. Bruskin
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(23), 16604; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242316604 - 22 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 973
Abstract
In previous work, we experimentally demonstrated the possibility of using RNA aptamers to inhibit endogenous protein expression and their function within plant cells In the current work, we show that our proposed method is suitable for inhibiting the functions of exogenous, foreign proteins [...] Read more.
In previous work, we experimentally demonstrated the possibility of using RNA aptamers to inhibit endogenous protein expression and their function within plant cells In the current work, we show that our proposed method is suitable for inhibiting the functions of exogenous, foreign proteins delivered into the plant via various mechanisms, including pathogen proteins. Stringent experimentation produced robust RNA aptamers that are able to bind to the recombinant HopU1 effector protein of P. syringae bacteria. This research uses genetic engineering methods to constitutively express/transcribe HopU1 RNA aptamers in transgenic A. thaliana. Our findings support the hypothesis that HopU1 aptamers can actively interfere with the function of the HopU1 protein and thereby increase resistance to phytopathogens of the genus P. syringae pv. tomato DC 3000. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Research on the Interaction between Plant and Pathogen)
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16 pages, 6998 KiB  
Article
Properties of Plant Virus Protein Encoded by the 5′-Proximal Gene of Tetra-Cistron Movement Block
by Denis A. Chergintsev, Anna D. Solovieva, Anastasia K. Atabekova, Alexander A. Lezzhov, Sergei A. Golyshev, Sergey Y. Morozov and Andrey G. Solovyev
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 14144; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241814144 - 15 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1281
Abstract
To move from cell to cell through plasmodesmata, many plant viruses require the concerted action of two or more movement proteins (MPs) encoded by transport gene modules of virus genomes. A tetra-cistron movement block (TCMB) is a newly discovered transport module comprising four [...] Read more.
To move from cell to cell through plasmodesmata, many plant viruses require the concerted action of two or more movement proteins (MPs) encoded by transport gene modules of virus genomes. A tetra-cistron movement block (TCMB) is a newly discovered transport module comprising four genes. TCMB encodes three proteins, which are similar to MPs of the transport module known as the “triple gene block”, and a protein unrelated to known viral MPs and containing a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-binding domain similar to that found in a family of cell proteins, including AtDRB4 and AtHYL1. Here, the latter TCMB protein, named vDRB for virus dsRNA-binding protein, is shown to bind both dsRNA and single-stranded RNA in vitro. In a turnip crinkle virus-based assay, vDRB exhibits the properties of a viral suppressor of RNA silencing (VSR). In the context of potato virus X infection, vDRB significantly decreases the number and size of “dark green islands”, regions of local antiviral silencing, supporting the VSR function of vDRB. Nevertheless, vDRB does not exhibit the VSR properties in non-viral transient expression assays. Taken together, the data presented here indicate that vDRB is an RNA-binding protein exhibiting VSR functions in the context of viral infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Research on the Interaction between Plant and Pathogen)
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20 pages, 3880 KiB  
Article
Nicotiana benthamiana Class 1 Reversibly Glycosylated Polypeptides Suppress Tobacco Mosaic Virus Infection
by Kamila A. Kamarova, Natalia M. Ershova, Ekaterina V. Sheshukova, Eugene A. Arifulin, Natalia L. Ovsiannikova, Alexandra A. Antimonova, Andrei A. Kudriashov and Tatiana V. Komarova
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(16), 12843; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241612843 - 16 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1353
Abstract
Reversibly glycosylated polypeptides (RGPs) have been identified in many plant species and play an important role in cell wall formation, intercellular transport regulation, and plant–virus interactions. Most plants have several RGP genes with different expression patterns depending on the organ and developmental stage. [...] Read more.
Reversibly glycosylated polypeptides (RGPs) have been identified in many plant species and play an important role in cell wall formation, intercellular transport regulation, and plant–virus interactions. Most plants have several RGP genes with different expression patterns depending on the organ and developmental stage. Here, we report on four members of the RGP family in N. benthamiana. Based on a homology search, NbRGP1-3 and NbRGP5 were assigned to the class 1 and class 2 RGPs, respectively. We demonstrated that NbRGP1–3 and 5 mRNA accumulation increases significantly in response to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection. Moreover, all identified class 1 NbRGPs (as distinct from NbRGP5) suppress TMV intercellular transport and replication in N. benthamiana. Elevated expression of NbRGP1–2 led to the stimulation of callose deposition at plasmodesmata, indicating that RGP-mediated TMV local spread could be affected via a callose-dependent mechanism. It was also demonstrated that NbRGP1 interacts with TMV movement protein (MP) in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, class 1 NbRGP1–2 play an antiviral role by impeding intercellular transport of the virus by affecting plasmodesmata callose and directly interacting with TMV MP, resulting in the reduced viral spread and replication. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Research on the Interaction between Plant and Pathogen)
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21 pages, 10526 KiB  
Article
Transcriptomic and Functional Analyses Reveal the Different Roles of Vitamins C, E, and K in Regulating Viral Infections in Maize
by Kaiqiang Hao, Miaoren Yang, Yakun Cui, Zhiyuan Jiao, Xinran Gao, Zhichao Du, Zhiping Wang, Mengnan An, Zihao Xia and Yuanhua Wu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 8012; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24098012 - 28 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1805
Abstract
Maize lethal necrosis (MLN), one of the most important maize viral diseases, is caused by maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) infection in combination with a potyvirid, such as sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). However, the resistance mechanism of maize to MLN remains largely unknown. [...] Read more.
Maize lethal necrosis (MLN), one of the most important maize viral diseases, is caused by maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) infection in combination with a potyvirid, such as sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). However, the resistance mechanism of maize to MLN remains largely unknown. In this study, we obtained isoform expression profiles of maize after SCMV and MCMV single and synergistic infection (S + M) via comparative analysis of SMRT- and Illumina-based RNA sequencing. A total of 15,508, 7567, and 2378 differentially expressed isoforms (DEIs) were identified in S + M, MCMV, and SCMV libraries, which were primarily involved in photosynthesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging, and some pathways related to disease resistance. The results of virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) assays revealed that silencing of a vitamin C biosynthesis-related gene, ZmGalDH or ZmAPX1, promoted viral infections, while silencing ZmTAT or ZmNQO1, the gene involved in vitamin E or K biosynthesis, inhibited MCMV and S + M infections, likely by regulating the expressions of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. Moreover, the relationship between viral infections and expression of the above four genes in ten maize inbred lines was determined. We further demonstrated that the exogenous application of vitamin C could effectively suppress viral infections, while vitamins E and K promoted MCMV infection. These findings provide novel insights into the gene regulatory networks of maize in response to MLN, and the roles of vitamins C, E, and K in conditioning viral infections in maize. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Research on the Interaction between Plant and Pathogen)
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14 pages, 2802 KiB  
Article
Generation of a Triple-Shuttling Vector and the Application in Plant Plus-Strand RNA Virus Infectious cDNA Clone Construction
by Chenwei Feng, Xiao Guo, Tianxiao Gu, Yanhong Hua, Xinjian Zhuang and Kun Zhang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(6), 5477; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065477 - 13 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1957
Abstract
Infectious cloning of plant viruses is a powerful tool for studying the reverse genetic manipulation of viral genes in virus–host plant interactions, contributing to a deeper understanding of the life history and pathogenesis of viruses. Yet, most of the infectious clones of RNA [...] Read more.
Infectious cloning of plant viruses is a powerful tool for studying the reverse genetic manipulation of viral genes in virus–host plant interactions, contributing to a deeper understanding of the life history and pathogenesis of viruses. Yet, most of the infectious clones of RNA virus constructed in E. coli are unstable and toxic. Therefore, we modified the binary vector pCass4-Rz and constructed the ternary shuttle vector pCA4Y. The pCA4Y vector has a higher copy number in the E. coli than the conventional pCB301 vector, can obtain a high concentration of plasmid, and is economical and practical, so it is suitable for the construction of plant virus infectious clones in basic laboratories. The constructed vector can be directly extracted from yeast and transformed into Agrobacterium tumefaciens to avoid toxicity in E. coli. Taking advantage of the pCA4Y vector, we established a detailed large and multiple DNA HR-based cloning method in yeast using endogenous recombinase. We successfully constructed the Agrobacterium-based infectious cDNA clone of ReMV. This study provides a new choice for the construction of infectious viral clones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Research on the Interaction between Plant and Pathogen)
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