title: Characterization of plant miRNAs and small RNAs derived from potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) in infected tomato.
abstract: To defend against invading pathogens, plants possess RNA silencing mechanisms involving small RNAs (miRNAs, siRNAs). Also viroids - plant infectious, non-coding, unencapsidated RNA - cause the production of viroid-specific small RNAs (vsRNA), but viroids do escape the cytoplasmic silencing mechanism. Viroids with minor sequence variations can produce different symptoms in infected plants, suggesting an involvement of vsRNAs in symptom production. We analyzed by deep sequencing the spectrum of vsRNAs induced by the PSTVd strain AS1, which causes strong symptoms such as dwarfing and necrosis upon infection of tomato plants cv Rutgers. Indeed, vsRNAs found with highest frequency mapped to the pathogenicity-modulating domain of PSTVd, supporting an involvement of vsRNAs in symptom production. Furthermore, in PSTVd AS1-infected plants the accumulation of some endogenous miRNAs, which are involved in leaf development via regulation of transcription factors, is suppressed. The latter finding supports the hypothesis that a miRNA-dependent (mis)regulation of transcription factors causes the viroid symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Diermann
authors.forename: Jaroslav
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Matoušek
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Junge
authors.forename: Detlev
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Riesner
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steger
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000821:virology*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D018515:Plant Leaves; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism; D058727:RNA, Small Untranslated / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D014772:Viroids / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D058727:RNA, Small Untranslated; D012367:RNA, Viral