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Plant Virus Research and Biotechnology-Based Resistance Strategies—In Honor of Professor Andrew Otis Jackson

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A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Viruses of Plants, Fungi and Protozoa".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 6 July 2026 | Viewed by 3279

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Aiming Wang

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Guest Editor

1. London Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, ON N5V 4T3, Canada
2. Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
Interests: molecular plant virology; plant-virus interactions; virus cell-to-cell movement; antiviral resistance; viral vector
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Fangfang Li

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Guest Editor

Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: plant-virus interactions; geminiviruses; potyviruses

Dr. Jonathan Griffiths

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Guest Editor

London Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Vineland, ON L0R 2E0, Canada
Interests: viral diseases of tree fruits, grapevines; small berries; tomatoes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant viruses represent a persistent and significant threat to global agriculture, causing severe diseases that lead to substantial economic losses and endanger food security worldwide. Outbreaks of viral diseases can be catastrophic, particularly in staple crops, undermining both yield and quality. The successful establishment of viral infection is a consequence of intricate molecular interactions between the host plant and the invading pathogen. A deeper understanding of these processes is therefore essential for developing effective and sustainable disease management strategies.

This Special Issue of Viruses aims to highlight cutting-edge research that advances the field of plant virology. We welcome original articles and reviews covering a broad spectrum of topics, including but not limited to:

Molecular mechanisms of plant virus infection and pathogenesis
Virus–plant interactions at the genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic levels
Evolution, ecology, and diversity of plant viruses
Biotechnology-driven approaches for virus control (e.g., RNAi, CRISPR, pathogen-derived resistance)
Innovative methods for engineering genetic resistance in crops

This issue is dedicated to the memory of Professor Andrew Otis Jackson, a preeminent plant virologist who passed away on 7 July 2025. Prof. Jackson’s pioneering work profoundly advanced our understanding of plant virus biology and host–pathogen interactions. In honoring his legacy, we seek contributions that reflect his scientific rigor, innovation, and enduring impact on the virology community.

Dr. Aiming Wang
Prof. Dr. Fangfang Li
Dr. Jonathan Griffiths
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

viral pathogenicity
virus movement
viral replication
virus induced gene silencing
RNA silencing suppressor
molecular plant-virus interaction
host factor
antiviral defense response
virus-vector interaction and transmission
virus evolution

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4309 KB

Open AccessArticle

Virus-Mediated Overexpression of Two Allelic Protein Fragments Elicits Drastically Different Responses in Soybean

by Seung Hyun Yang, Anna Favalon, Junping Han, Camila Perdoncini Carvalho, Leah McHale, Anne Dorrance and Feng Qu

Viruses 2026, 18(4), 419; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18040419 - 29 Mar 2026

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Abstract

Soybean (Glycine max) is relatively recalcitrant to genetic manipulations; hence, it is often interrogated with transient means such as virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). We earlier modified cowpea severe mosaic virus (CPSMV) to develop a soybean-friendly VIGS system referred to as QUIN-FZ. Here we report additional calibrations of this system. We enhanced the intra-bacterial stability of plasmid QUIN, which contained a CPSMV RNA1 cDNA embedded with four introns, by adding a fifth intron, resulting in PENTIN. We separately upgraded the plasmid FZ, which contained a modified CPSMV RNA2 cDNA with a cloning site in the middle of the viral polyprotein, by creating another cloning site within the 3′ untranslated region, leading to ZY. We next used the new PENTIN-ZY system to investigate a putative soybean protein kinase designated QL18. Virus-mediated overexpression of two allelic, 147-amino-acid (aa) protein fragments, derived from two different QL18 orthologs, elicited drastically different responses in soybeans. While the fragment derived from soybean accession OX20-8 prevented the cognate virus from infecting top young leaves in at least 50% of inoculated seedlings, its allelic counterpart derived from soybean accession PI427105B elicited apical necrosis in 100% of soybean seedlings. By examining progeny viruses as well as viruses encoding chimeras of the two fragments, we identified more than a dozen mutations that abrogated these unique phenotypes. Our findings establish the PENTIN-ZY system as a versatile tool for overexpressing small proteins and protein fragments, accelerating their functional characterization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Virus Research and Biotechnology-Based Resistance Strategies—In Honor of Professor Andrew Otis Jackson)

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Review

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14 pages, 1056 KB

Open AccessReview

Pathogenicity, Resistance Genes and Integrated Management Strategies of Potato Virus Y in Potato

by Zijian Zhang, Ran Tian, Kaiqian Wang, Jing Zhou, Haoyu Song, Zizhong Wang, Guixiang Jiao, Yuxiao Du, Haining Huang and Dianqiu Lv

Viruses 2026, 18(3), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18030343 - 11 Mar 2026

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Abstract

Potato virus Y (PVY), widely regarded as one of the world’s most important plant viruses, seriously threatens global potato production and food security. PVY deploys its proteins to interact with key host factors, thereby enabling viral replication, accumulation, and systemic infection. PVY also exhibits high genetic diversity and frequent recombination, which promote host adaptation and immune evasion. In response, potato plants perceive viral effectors through intracellular immune receptors and activate antiviral defenses. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in elucidating PVY–host defense and counter-defense mechanisms. Here, we summarize the molecular basis of PVY pathogenicity and highlight recent advances in PVY resistance genes (e.g., Ry_sto and Ry_chc). Finally, we integrate emerging insights from plant virology and nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) biology to discuss prospective, multi-pronged strategies for PVY management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Virus Research and Biotechnology-Based Resistance Strategies—In Honor of Professor Andrew Otis Jackson)

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20 pages, 1264 KB

Open AccessReview

Advances in Plant Antiviral RNAi: From Host DCLs/RDRs to Diversified Viral Counteracting Strategies

by Xue Li, Fuan Pan, Xueping Zhou, Aiming Wang, Richard Kormelink and Fangfang Li

Viruses 2026, 18(2), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18020184 - 29 Jan 2026

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1078

Abstract

Plant RNA interference (RNAi) is a fundamental antiviral defense that relies on coordinated activities of DICER-like endonucleases (DCLs), Argonaute proteins (AGOs) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RDRs). Over the past decades, studies using model and crop species have uncovered complex and often redundant roles for DCLs and RDRs in generating and amplifying virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs), in addition to connections with transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) and epigenetic defenses against DNA viruses. Concurrently, plant viruses have evolved diverse counterstrategies—proteinaceous RNA silencing suppressors (RSSs), exoribonuclease (XRN)-resistant noncoding RNAs, and indirect manipulation of host pathways—to evade RNAi. Driven by the co-evolutionary arms race, plants have developed sophisticated counter-countermeasures that modulate or overcome viral anti-RNAi activity. Accumulated evidence suggests that plants encode host factor genes that are activated to degrade or sequester viral components such as RSSs against viral infection. On the other hand, plants have also evolved endogenous host modulators of antiviral RNAi that can either reinforce the antiviral response or be co-opted by viruses to antagonize it, representing a furious dynamic molecular battling mechanism. Here, we review recent advances in the molecular functions of DCLs and RDRs across species, summarize newly discovered viral counter-defenses (including RNA-based suppressors), and discuss host counter-countermeasures. We research key areas—such as the roles of RDRγ-class proteins, RTL1 (RNase three-like 1)-mediated competition with DCLs, and the mechanistic impact of viral noncoding RNAs—and outline translational opportunities for improving virus resistance in crops through breeding, biotechnological approaches, and RNA-based applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Virus Research and Biotechnology-Based Resistance Strategies—In Honor of Professor Andrew Otis Jackson)

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