title: Engineering viroid resistance.
abstract: Viroids are non-encapsidated, non-coding, circular, single-stranded RNAs (ssRNAs). They are classified into the families Pospiviroidae and Avsunviroidae, whose members replicate in the nucleus and chloroplast of plant cells, respectively. Viroids have a wide host range, including crop and ornamental plants, and can cause devastating diseases with significant economic losses. Thus, several viroids are world-wide, classified as quarantine pathogens and, hence, there is an urgent need for the development of robust antiviroid strategies. RNA silencing-based technologies seem to be a promising tool in this direction. Here, we review the recent advances concerning the complex interaction of viroids with the host's RNA silencing machinery, evaluate past and present antiviroid approaches, and finally suggest alternative strategies that could potentially be employed in the future in order to achieve transgenic and non-transgenic viroid-free plants.
authors: RLP AgroScience GmbH, AIPlanta-Institute for Plant Research, Neustadt, 67435, Germany. athanasios.dalakouras@agroscience.rlp.de.
authors: Athanasios
authors: A
authors: Dalakouras
authors: RLP AgroScience GmbH, AIPlanta-Institute for Plant Research, Neustadt, 67435, Germany. elena.dadami@agroscience.rlp.de.
authors: Elena
authors: E
authors: Dadami
authors: RLP AgroScience GmbH, AIPlanta-Institute for Plant Research, Neustadt, Germany and Centre for Organisational Studies (COS) Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany. michael.wassenegger@agroscience.rlp.de.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Wassenegger
mesh_terms: D060467:Disease Resistance; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D020868:Gene Silencing; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000235:genetics; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D014772:Viroids / Q000502:physiology*; D014779:Virus Replication