title: The multifunctional plant viral suppressor of gene silencing P19 interacts with itself and an RNA binding host protein.
abstract: Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) is an RNA plant virus encoding a protein of approximately 19 kDa (P19) that is involved in various activities important for pathogenicity, including virus transport and suppression of gene silencing. In this study, we provide evidence in vivo and in vitro that P19 specifically interacts with itself to predominantly form dimers, and with a novel host protein, Hin19. Hin19 has a high degree of similarity with a class of RNA-binding proteins of which many are involved in RNA processing. The binding of P19 to itself and to Hin19 both depend on a structurally important central region of P19 that was previously shown critical for its biological function in plants. Our findings provide evidence for a model in which virus spread through suppression of defense-related gene silencing involves the formation of a complex that includes P19 dimers and a newly identified host RNA-binding protein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, and Intercollegiate Faculty of Virology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2132, USA.
authors.forename: Jong-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Faure-Rabasse
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Bénédicte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Desvoyes
authors.forename: Herman B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Scholthof
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019281:Dimerization; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D020868:Gene Silencing; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000821:virology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017864:Tombusvirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins