Silencing of a single gene in tomato plants resistant to Tomato yellow leaf curl virus renders them susceptible to the virus.
A reverse-genetics approach was applied to identify genes involved in Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) resistance, taking advantage of two tomato inbred lines from the same breeding program-one susceptible (S), one resistant (R-that used Solanum habrochaites as the source of resistance. cDNA libraries from inoculated and non-inoculated R and S plants were compared, postulating that genes preferentially expressed in the R line may be part of the network sustaining resistance to TYLCV. Further, we assumed that silencing genes located at important nodes of the network would lead to collapse of resistance. Approximately 70 different cDNAs representing genes preferentially expressed in R plants were isolated and their genes identified by comparison with public databases. A Permease I-like protein gene encoding a transmembranal transporter was further studied: it was preferentially expressed in R plants and its expression was enhanced several-fold following TYLCV inoculation. Silencing of the Permease gene of R plants using Tobacco rattle virus-induced gene silencing led to loss of resistance, expressed as development of disease symptoms typical of infected susceptible plants and accumulation of large amounts of virus. Silencing of another membrane protein gene preferentially expressed in R plants, Pectin methylesterase, previously shown to be involved in Tobacco mosaic virus translocation, did not lead to collapse of resistance of R plants. Thus, silencing of a single gene can lead to collapse of resistance, but not every gene preferentially expressed in the R line has the same effect, upon silencing, on resistance.
Eybishtz
Assaf
A
The Otto Warburg Minerva Center for Agricultural Biotechnology and the Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Science and Genetics in Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
Peretz
Yuval
Y
Sade
Dagan
D
Akad
Fouad
F
Czosnek
Henryk
H
D053839:Begomovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D005784:Gene Amplification; D020868:Gene Silencing; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics*; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D015398:Signal Transduction
D018744:DNA, Plant; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins