Poster Presentation 29th Annual Lorne Proteomics Symposium 2024

Proteomics uncovers further role of plant virus coat protein (#124)

Nemat N. Sokhandan-bashir 1
  1. University of Tabriz, Tabriz, E. AZARBAIJAN, Iran

Proteins play vital roles in plant-virus interactions. For instance, inclusions bodies are formed in virus-infected plant cells. These inclusions may be simply made of virus particles accumulating along each other. Alternatively, they are made of the movement protein (MP) or replicase protein (RP) which are formed in infection with potyviruses. In our study, ribbon-like structures are formed in the cells of Nicotiana benthamiana plants infected with the cucumovirus Peanut stunt virus. An initial study which used reassortments of the viral RNA segments uncovered that occurrence of these structures was associated with the virus RNA3. This genomic segment codes for MP and coat protein (CP). To find out if the CP involved in the formation of the ribbon-like structures, the virus CP gene was expressed through a potato virus x (PVX)-based vector and it showed that expression of the CP is essential and sufficient for the inclusions to occur. Virus CP play multiple functions in biology of virus in addition to its protective role for the RNA, enabling virus transmission by vector (e.g., aphids), acting as an elicitor and the pathogenicity determinant. This study provides further evidence as to the additional role of the virus CP, its cytological effect in the infection.