plant virology literature review

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VIRUS INDUCED GENE SILENCING ASSAY: EFFECT OF HOST GENE SILENCING ON PVA INFECTION

Plant RNA viruses replicate in the cytoplasm but some of their proteins are targeted the nucleus. The reason for nuclear targeting of viral proteins remains, however, largely unknown. The leaves of potato plants systemically infected with Potato virus A have been analyzed for the nuclear proteome and compared with the healthy leaves to better understand the role of nucleus in plant virus infection (unpublished data). The analysis indicated that a small specific GTP binding protein (ras related proteins) is found in the nuclei of the PVA infected leaves but is absent from nuclei of healthy leaves. Ras like proteins form a large protein superfamily involved in signal transmission within cells. They are associated with cellular trafficking which controls the directionality of nuclear transport, belongs to Ras superfamily of small GTPases. In addition, some ras like proteins have been shown to play role in plant virus infection (e.g. Tameling and Baulcombe 2007; Carvalho et. Al. 2008) suggesting that the found protein may also have a role in PVA infection.

Aim: the aim of the study is to examine whether the GTP binding proteins which was only found in PVA infected nuclei, plays a role in PVA infection. The protein is be silenced in plants of Nicotiana benthamiana using virus induced gene silencing and the ability of PVA to infect the silenced and control plants will be compared.

Methods:

Cloning of Ecoli, PCR, RT PCR, Yeast Hybridization, AGE etc.