title: Nicotiana benthamiana plants asymptomatically infected by Pelargonium line pattern virus show unusually high accumulation of viral small RNAs that is neither associated with DCL induction nor RDR6 activity.
abstract: Pelargonium line pattern virus (PLPV, Tombusviridae) normally establishes systemic, low-titered and asymptomatic infections in its hosts. This type of interaction may be largely determined by events related to RNA silencing, a major antiviral mechanism in plants. This mechanism is triggered by double or quasi double-stranded (ds) viral RNAs which are cut by DCL ribonucleases into virus small RNAs (vsRNAs). Such vsRNAs are at the core of the silencing process as they guide sequence-specific RNA degradation Host RNA dependent-RNA polymerases (RDRs), and particularly RDR6, strengthen antiviral silencing by promoting biosynthesis of secondary vsRNAs. To approach PLPV-host relationship, here we have characterized the vsRNAs that accumulate in PLPV-infected Nicotiana benthamiana. Such accumulation was found unprecedented high despite DCLs were not induced in infected tissue and neither vsRNA generation nor PLPV infection was apparently affected by RDR6 impairment. From the obtained data, triggers and host factors likely involved in anti-PLPV silencing are proposed.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Politécnica de Valencia), Ciudad Politécnica de la Innovación, Ed. 8E. Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Miryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérez-Cañamás
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Politécnica de Valencia), Ciudad Politécnica de la Innovación, Ed. 8E. Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blanco-Pérez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Politécnica de Valencia), Ciudad Politécnica de la Innovación, Ed. 8E. Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Forment
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Politécnica de Valencia), Ciudad Politécnica de la Innovación, Ed. 8E. Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain. Electronic address: cahernan@ibmcp.upv.es.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hernández
mesh_terms: D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010942:Plant Viruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference; D022661:RNA, Untranslated / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D019183:Tombusviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D022661:RNA, Untranslated; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase; D012260:Ribonucleases
keywords: Antiviral-defense; DCL; Pelargonium line pattern virus; RDR6; RNA silencing; Symptomless viral infection; Tombusviridae; Viral small RNAs