Plant responses against invasive nucleic acids: RNA silencing and its suppression by plant viral pathogens.
RNA silencing is a common strategy shared by eukaryotic organisms to regulate gene expression, and also operates as a defense mechanism against invasive nucleic acids such as viral transcripts. The silencing pathway is quite sophisticated in higher eukaryotes but the distinct steps and nature of effector complexes vary between and even within species. To counteract this defense mechanism viruses have evolved the ability to encode proteins that suppress silencing to protect their genomes from degradation. This review focuses on our current understanding of how individual components of the plant RNA silencing mechanism are directed against viruses, and how in turn virus-encoded suppressors target one or more key events in the silencing cascade.
Alvarado
Veria
V
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, 2132 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, United States.
Scholthof
Herman B
HB
D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D020868:Gene Silencing; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D008954:Models, Biological; D009154:Mutation; D010944:Plants / Q000821:virology*; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014780:Viruses / Q000378:metabolism*
D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins