Systemic gene delivery into soybean by simple rub-inoculation with plasmid DNA of a Soybean mosaic virus-based vector

Engineering of stable infectious cDNA constructs of a fluorescently tagged tomato chlorosis virus

Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV) is an emerging pathogen that cause severe yellow leaf disorder syndrome in tomato plants. In this study, we aimed to generate a recombinant ToCV tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) to enable real-time monitoring of viral infection in living plants. Transformation of the full-length cDNA construct of ToCV RNA1 into Escherichia coli resulted in instability issues, which were successfully overcome by inserting a plant intron into RNA1. Subsequently, a GFP tag was engineered into a cDNA construct of ToCV RNA2. The resulting recombinant ToCV-GFP could systemically infect Nicotiana benthamiana plants, and GFP expression was observed along the major veins. Utilizing ToCV-GFP, we also showed that ToCV engages in antagonistic relationships with two different tomato-infecting viruses in mixed infections in N. benthamiana. This study demonstrates the potential of ToCV-GFP as a valuable tool for the visual tracking of infection and movement of criniviruses in living plants.

Visual tracking of viral infection dynamics reveals the synergistic interactions between cucumber mosaic virus and broad bean wilt virus 2

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is one of the most prevalent plant viruses in the world, and causes severe damage to various crops. CMV has been studied as a model RNA virus to better understand viral replication, gene functions, evolution, virion structure, and pathogenicity. However, CMV infection and movement dynamics remain unexplored due to the lack of a stable recombinant virus tagged with a reporter gene. In this study, we generated a CMV infectious cDNA construct tagged with a variant of the flavin-binding LOV photoreceptor (iLOV). The iLOV gene was stably maintained in the CMV genome after more than four weeks of three serial passages between plants. Using the iLOV-tagged recombinant CMV, we visualized CMV infection and movement dynamics in living plants in a time course manner. We also examined whether CMV infection dynamics is influenced by co-infection with broad bean wilt virus 2 (BBWV2). Our results revealed that no spatial interference occurred between CMV and BBWV2. Specifically, BBWV2 facilitated the cell-to-cell movement of CMV in the upper young leaves. In addition, the BBWV2 accumulation level increased after co-infection with CMV.

Development of an efficient expression system with large cargo capacity for interrogation of gene function in bamboo based on bamboo mosaic virus

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants among monocotyledonous species and is grown extensively in subtropical regions. Although bamboo has high economic value and produces much biomass quickly, gene functional research is hindered by the low efficiency of genetic transformation in this species. We therefore explored the potential of a bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV)-mediated expression system to investigate genotype-phenotype associations. We determined that the sites between the triple gene block proteins (TGBps) and the coat protein (CP) of BaMV are the most efficient insertion sites for the expression of exogenous genes in both monopodial and sympodial bamboo species. Moreover, we validated this system by individually overexpressing the two endogenous genes ACE1 and DEC1, which resulted in the promotion and suppression of internode elongation, respectively. In particular, this system was able to drive the expression of three 2A-linked betalain biosynthesis genes (more than 4 kb in length) to produce betalain, indicating that it has high cargo capacity and may provide the prerequisite basis for the development of a DNA-free bamboo genome editing platform in the future. Since BaMV can infect multiple bamboo species, we anticipate that the system described in this study will greatly contribute to gene function research and further promote the molecular breeding of bamboo.

Development of tobacco rattle virus-based platform for dual heterologous gene expression and CRISPR/Cas reagent delivery

A large number of viral delivery systems have been developed for characterizing functional genes and producing heterologous recombinant proteins in plants, and but most of them are unable to co-express two fusion-free foreign proteins in the whole plant for extended periods of time. In this study, we modified tobacco rattle virus (TRV) as a TRVe dual delivery vector, using the strategy of gene substitution. The reconstructed TRVe had the capability to simultaneously produce two fusion-free foreign proteins at the whole level of Nicotiana benthamiana, and maintained the genetic stability for the insert of double foreign genes. Moreover, TRVe allowed systemic expression of two foreign proteins with the total lengths up to ∼900 aa residues. In addition, Cas12a protein and crRNA were delivered by the TRVe expression system for site-directed editing of genomic DNA in N. benthamiana 16c line constitutively expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP). Taker together, the TRV-based delivery system will be a simple and powerful means to rapidly co-express two non-fused foreign proteins at the whole level and facilitate functional genomics studies in plants.

Complete Genome Sequencing and Infectious cDNA Clone Construction of Soybean Mosaic Virus Isolated from Shanxi

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) is the predominant viral pathogen that affects the yield and quality of soybean. The natural host range for SMV is very narrow, and generally limited to Leguminosae. However, we found that SMV can naturally infect Pinellia ternata and Atractylodes macrocephala. In order to clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying the crossfamily infection of SMV, we used double-stranded RNA extraction, rapid amplification of cDNA ends polymerase chain reaction and Gibson assembly techniques to carry out SMV full-length genome amplification from susceptible soybeans and constructed an infectious cDNA clone for SMV. The genome of the SMV Shanxi isolate (SMV-SX) consists of 9,587 nt and encodes a polyprotein consisting of 3,067 aa. SMV-SX and SMV-XFQ008 had the highest nucleotide and amino acid sequence identities of 97.03% and 98.50%, respectively. A phylogenetic tree indicated that SMV-SX and SMV-XFQ018 were clustered together, sharing the closest relationship. We then constructed a pSMV-SX infectious cDNA clone by Gibson assembly technology and used this clone to inoculate soybean and Ailanthus altissima; the symptoms of these hosts were similar to those caused by the virus isolated from natural infected plant tissue. This method of construction not only makes up for the time-consuming and laborious defect of traditional methods used to construct infectious cDNA clones, but also avoids the toxicity of the Potyvirus special sequence to Escherichia coli, thus providing a useful cloning strategy for the construction of infectious cDNA clones for other viruses and laying down a foundation for the further investigation of SMV cross-family infection mechanisms.

Rapid generation of inoculum of a plant RNA virus using overlap PCR

We have developed an efficient method to rapidly generate infectious inoculum of a plant RNA virus and confirmed its infectivity by mechanical inoculation. The method takes advantage of overlap PCR to bypass the cloning steps, which makes it relatively simple, rapid, and inexpensive compared to the traditional methods. Using this approach, inoculum of a tobamovirus, Turnip vein clearing virus (TVCV), was generated. PCR products specific for the 35S promoter and TVCV genome were used as templates for overlap PCR to form a single product containing the full-length TVCV cDNA under the control of the double 35S promoter, and the entire process took only 8 h. This inoculum was infectious in Nicotiana benthamiana, and its infectivity was ca. 67% compared to 0% and 100% with negative and positive controls, respectively. Thus, this rapid method generates efficient infectious inoculum for a plant RNA virus.

Synthesis of Full-Length cDNA Infectious Clones of Soybean Mosaic Virus and Functional Identification of a Key Amino Acid in the Silencing Suppressor Hc-Pro

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV), which belongs to the Potyviridae, causes significant reductions in soybean yield and seed quality. In this study, both tag-free and reporter gene green fluorescent protein (GFP)-containing infectious clones for the SMV N1 strain were constructed by Gibson assembly and with the yeast homologous recombination system, respectively. Both infectious clones are suitable for agroinfiltration on the model host N. benthamiana and show strong infectivity for the natural host soybean and several other legume species. Both infectious clones were seed transmitted and caused typical virus symptoms on seeds and progeny plants. We used the SMV-GFP infectious clone to further investigate the role of key amino acids in the silencing suppressor helper component-proteinase (Hc-Pro). Among twelve amino acid substitution mutants, the co-expression of mutant 2-with an Asparagine→Leucine substitution at position 182 of the FRNK (Phe-Arg-Asn-Lys) motif-attenuated viral symptoms and alleviated the host growth retardation caused by SMV. Moreover, the Hc-Prom2 mutant showed stronger oligomerization than wild-type Hc-Pro. Taken together, the SMV infectious clones will be useful for studies of host-SMV interactions and functional gene characterization in soybeans and related legume species, especially in terms of seed transmission properties. Furthermore, the SMV-GFP infectious clone will also facilitate functional studies of both virus and host genes in an N. benthamiana transient expression system.

Application of Reverse Genetics in Functional Genomics of Potyvirus

Numerous potyvirus studies, including virus biology, transmission, viral protein function, as well as virus–host interaction, have greatly benefited from the utilization of reverse genetic techniques. Reverse genetics of RNA viruses refers to the manipulation of viral genomes, transfection of the modified cDNAs into cells, and the production of live infectious progenies, either wild-type or mutated. Reverse genetic technology provides an opportunity of developing potyviruses into vectors for improving agronomic traits in plants, as a reporter system for tracking virus infection in hosts or a production system for target proteins. Therefore, this review provides an overview on the breakthroughs achieved in potyvirus research through the implementation of reverse genetic systems.

Plant Virus-Derived Vectors: Applications in Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology

Major advances in our understanding of plant viral genome expression strategies and the interaction of a virus with its host for replication and movement, induction of disease, and resistance responses have been made through the generation of infectious molecules from cloned viral sequences. Autonomously replicating viral vectors derived from infectious clones have been exploited to express foreign genes in plants. Applications of virus-based vectors include the production of human/animal therapeutic proteins in plant cells and the specific study of plant biochemical processes, including those that confer resistance to pathogens. Additionally, virus-induced gene silencing, which is RNA mediated and triggered through homology-dependent RNA degradation mechanisms, has been exploited as an efficient method to study the functions of host genes in plants and to deliver small RNAs to insects. New and exciting strategies for vector engineering, delivery, and applications of plant virus-based vectors are the subject of this review.

An Avirulent Strain of Soybean Mosaic Virus Reverses the Defensive Effect of Abscisic Acid in a Susceptible Soybean Cultivar

In soybean cultivar L29, the Rsv3 gene is responsible for extreme resistance (ER) against the soybean mosaic virus avirulent strain G5H, but is ineffective against the virulent strain G7H. Part of this ER is attributed to the rapid increase in abscisic acid (ABA) and callose, and to the rapid induction of several genes in the RNA-silencing pathway. Whether these two defense mechanisms are correlated or separated in the ER is unknown. Here, we found that ABA treatment of L29 plants increased the expression of several antiviral RNA-silencing genes as well as the PP2C3a gene, which was previously shown to increase callose accumulation; as a consequence, ABA increased the resistance of L29 plants to G7H. The effect of ABA treatment on these genes was weaker in the rsv3-null cultivar (Somyungkong) than in L29. Besides, G5H-infection of Somyungkong plants subverted the effect of ABA leading to reduced callose accumulation and decreased expression of several RNA-silencing genes, which resulted in increased susceptibility to G5H infection. ABA treatment, however, still induced some resistance to G7H in Somyungkong, but only AGO7b was significantly induced. Our data suggest that Rsv3 modulates the effect of ABA on these two resistance mechanisms, i.e., callose accumulation and the antiviral RNA-silencing pathway, and that in the absence of Rsv3, some strains can reverse the effect of ABA and thereby facilitate their replication and spread.

Engineering a Decoy Substrate in Soybean to Enable Recognition of the Soybean Mosaic Virus NIa Protease

In Arabidopsis, recognition of the AvrPphB effector protease from Pseudomonas syringae is mediated by the disease resistance (R) protein RPS5, which is activated by AvrPphB-induced cleavage of the Arabidopsis protein kinase PBS1. The recognition specificity of RPS5 can be altered by substituting the AvrPphB cleavage site within PBS1 with cleavage sequences for other proteases, including proteases from viruses. AvrPphB also activates defense responses in soybean (Glycine max), suggesting that soybean may contain an R protein analogous to RPS5. It was unknown, however, whether this response is mediated by cleavage of a soybean PBS1-like protein. Here, we show that soybean contains three PBS1 orthologs and that their products are cleaved by AvrPphB. Further, transient expression of soybean PBS1 derivatives containing a five-alanine insertion at their AvrPphB cleavage sites activated cell death in soybean protoplasts, demonstrating that soybean likely contains an AvrPphB-specific resistance protein that is activated by a conformational change in soybean PBS1 proteins. Significantly, we show that a soybean PBS1 decoy protein modified to contain a cleavage site for the soybean mosaic virus (SMV) NIa protease triggers cell death in soybean protoplasts when cleaved by this protease, indicating that the PBS1 decoy approach will work in soybean, using endogenous PBS1 genes. Lastly, we show that activation of the AvrPphB-dependent cell death response effectively inhibits systemic spread of SMV in soybean. These data also indicate that decoy engineering may be feasible in other crop plant species that recognize AvrPphB protease activity.

Development of Soybean Yellow Mottle Mosaic Virus-Based Expression Vector for Heterologous Protein Expression in French Bean

Plant virus-based vectors provide attractive and valuable tools for rapid production of recombinant protein in large quantities as they produce systemic infections in differentiated plant tissues. In the present study, we engineered the Soybean yellow mottle mosaic virus (SYMMV) as a gene expression vector which is a promising candidate for systemic expression of foreign proteins in French bean plants. Full virus vector strategy was exploited for insertion of foreign gene by inserting MCS through PCR in the circular pJET-SYMMV clone. To examine the ability of the SYMMV vector system, GFP gene was cloned after the start codon of coat protein (CP) so that its expression was driven by the SYMMV-CP subgenomic promoter. When in vitro run off SYMMV-GFP transcript was mechanically inoculated to French bean leaves, good level of GFP expression was observed through confocal microscopy up to 40 dpi. Expression of heterologous protein was also confirmed through ISEM, DAC-ELISA and RT-PCR with specific primers at 20 dpi. The recombinant SYMMV construct was stable in in vitro runoff transcript inoculated plants but the inserted GFP was lost in progeny virion inoculated plants. The system developed here will be useful for further studies of SYMMV gene functions and exploitation of SYMMV as a gene expression vector.

A plant intron enhances the performance of an infectious clone in planta

Although infectious clones are fundamental tools in virology and plant pathology, their efficacy is often reduced by the instability of viral sequences in Escherichia coli. In this study, we constructed an infectious clone of PepMoV (pPepMoV) in a bacterial binary vector (pSNU1); the clone induces symptoms of PepMoV in agroinfiltrated plants. During its modification and maintenance in E. coli, however, the pPepMoV infectious clone was instable in the bacteria. Manipulation of this unstable clone in the bacterial strain DH10B led to the spontaneous formation of a recombined clone with high stability in the bacteria but with reduced infectivity due to an unwanted insertion of an E. coli sequence in the NIa-protease coding region. Replacement of this sequence with a plant intron restored infectivity and maintained plasmid stability. In addition to restoring plasmid growth in both E. coli and Agrobacterium, the presence of the intron in the PepMoV sequence enhanced the accumulation of PepMoV in agroinfiltrated leaves and resulted in symptom induction in upper systemic leaves that was nearly as strong as with PepMoV sap-inoculation. Plant introns have been previously used to stabilize plasmids in E. coli without any effect or with an unexpected lag in symptom development. In contrast, the current results demonstrated the in vivo enhancement of an infectious clone by a plant intron.

Soybean mosaic virus: a successful potyvirus with a wide distribution but restricted natural host range

TAXONOMY

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) is a species within the genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae, which includes almost one-quarter of all known plant RNA viruses affecting agriculturally important plants. The Potyvirus genus is the largest of all genera of plant RNA viruses with 160 species.

PARTICLE

The filamentous particles of SMV, typical of potyviruses, are about 7500 Å long and 120 Å in diameter with a central hole of about 15 Å in diameter. Coat protein residues are arranged in helices of about 34 Å pitch having slightly less than nine subunits per turn.

GENOME

The SMV genome consists of a single-stranded, positive-sense, polyadenylated RNA of approximately 9.6 kb with a virus-encoded protein (VPg) linked at the 5' terminus. The genomic RNA contains a single large open reading frame (ORF). The polypeptide produced from the large ORF is processed proteolytically by three viral-encoded proteinases to yield about 10 functional proteins. A small ORF, partially overlapping the P3 cistron, pipo, is encoded as a fusion protein in the N-terminus of P3 (P3N + PIPO).

BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

SMV's host range is restricted mostly to two plant species of a single genus: Glycine max (cultivated soybean) and G. soja (wild soybean). SMV is transmitted by aphids non-persistently and by seeds. The variability of SMV is recognized by reactions on cultivars with dominant resistance (R) genes. Recessive resistance genes are not known.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

As a consequence of its seed transmissibility, SMV is present in all soybean-growing areas of the world. SMV infections can reduce significantly seed quantity and quality (e.g. mottled seed coats, reduced seed size and viability, and altered chemical composition).

CONTROL

The most effective means of managing losses from SMV are the planting of virus-free seeds and cultivars containing single or multiple R genes.

KEY ATTRACTIONS

The interactions of SMV with soybean genotypes containing different dominant R genes and an understanding of the functional role(s) of SMV-encoded proteins in virulence, transmission and pathogenicity have been investigated intensively. The SMV-soybean pathosystem has become an excellent model for the examination of the genetics and genomics of a uniquely complex gene-for-gene resistance model in a crop of worldwide importance.

Isolation and validation of a candidate Rsv3 gene from a soybean genotype that confers strain-specific resistance to soybean mosaic virus

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV), a member of the genus Potyvirus, significantly reduces soybean production worldwide. Rsv3, which confers strain-specific resistance to SMV, was previously mapped between the markers A519F/R and M3Satt in chromosome 14 of the soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] genotype L29. Analysis of the soybean genome database revealed that five different NBS-LRR sequences exist between the flanking markers. Among these candidate Rsv3 genes, the full-length cDNA of the Glyma.14g204700 was successfully cloned from L29. Over-expression of Glyma.14g204700 in leaves inoculated with SMV inhibited viral infection in a soybean genotype lacking Rsv3. In addition, the transient silencing of the candidate gene caused a high accumulation of an avirulent strain in L29 carrying Rsv3. Our results therefore provide additional line of evidence to support that Glyma.14g204700 is likely Rsv3 gene that confers strain-specific resistance to SMV.

Genome characterization, infectivity assays of in vitro and in vivo infectious transcripts of soybean yellow mottle mosaic virus from India reveals a novel short mild genotype

Nucleotide sequence of a distinct soybean yellow mottle mosaic virusisolate from Vignaradiata (mungbean isolate, SYMMV-Mb) from India was determined and compared with othermembers of the family Tombusviridae. The complete monopartite single-stranded RNA genome of SYMMV-Mb consisted of 3974nt with six putative open reading frames and includes 5' and 3' untranslated regions of 35 and 254nt, respectively. SYMMV-Mb genome shared 75% nt sequence identity at complete genome level and 67-92% identity at all ORFs level with SYMMV Korean and USA isolates (soybean isolates) followed by CPMoV, whereas it shared very low identity with other tombusviridae members (5-41%). A full-length infectious cDNA clone of the SYMMV-Mb placed under the control of the T7 RNA polymerase and the CaMV35S promoters was generated and French bean plants on mechanical inoculation with in vitro RNA transcripts, p35SSYMMV-O4 plasmid and agroinoculation with p35SSYMMV-O4 showed symptoms typical of SYMMV-Mb infection. The infection was confirmed by DAC-ELISA, ISEM, RT-PCR and mechanical transmission to new plant species. Further testing of different plant species with agroinoculation of p35SSYMMV-O4 showed delay in symptoms but indistinguishable from mechanical sap inoculation and the infection was confirmed by DAC-ELISA, RT-PCR and mechanical transmission to new plants. The system developed here will be useful for further studies on pathogenecity, viral gene functions, plant-virus-vector interactions of SYMMV-Mb and to utilize it as a gene expression and silencing vector.

Development of tobacco ringspot virus-based vectors for foreign gene expression and virus-induced gene silencing in a variety of plants

We report here the development of tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV)-based vectors for the transient expression of foreign genes and for the analysis of endogenous gene function in plants using virus-induced gene silencing. The jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene was inserted between the TRSV movement protein (MP) and coat protein (CP) regions, resulting in high in-frame expression of the RNA2-encoded viral polyprotein. GFP was released from the polyprotein via an N-terminal homologous MP-CP cleavage site and a C-terminal foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) 2 A catalytic peptide in Nicotiana benthamiana. The VIGS target gene was introduced in the sense and antisense orientations into a SnaBI site, which was created by mutating the sequence following the CP stop codon. VIGS of phytoene desaturase (PDS) in N. benthamiana, Arabidopsis ecotype Col-0, cucurbits and legumes led to obvious photo-bleaching phenotypes. A significant reduction in PDS mRNA levels in silenced plants was confirmed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR.

Engineering of soybean mosaic virus as a versatile tool for studying protein-protein interactions in soybean

Transient gene expression approaches are valuable tools for rapid introduction of genes of interest and characterization of their functions in plants. Although agroinfiltration is the most effectively and routinely used method for transient expression of multiple genes in various plant species, this approach has been largely unsuccessful in soybean. In this study, we engineered soybean mosaic virus (SMV) as a dual-gene delivery vector to simultaneously deliver and express two genes in soybean cells. We further show the application of the SMV-based dual vector for a bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay to visualize in vivo protein-protein interactions in soybean and for a co-immunoprecipitation assay to identify cellular proteins interacting with SMV helper component protease. This approach provides a rapid and cost-effective tool for transient introduction of multiple traits into soybean and for in vivo characterization of the soybean cellular protein interaction network.

Development of a new vector using Soybean yellow common mosaic virus for gene function study or heterologous protein expression in soybeans

A new vector using Soybean yellow common mosaic virus (SYCMV) was constructed for gene function study or heterologous protein expression in soybeans. The in vitro transcript with a 5' cap analog m7GpppG from an SYCMV full-length infectious vector driven by a T7 promoter infected soybeans (pSYCMVT7-full). The symptoms observed in the soybeans infected with either the sap from SYCMV-infected leaves or pSYCMVT7-full were indistinguishable, suggesting that the vector exhibits equivalent biological activity as the virus itself. To utilize the vector further, a DNA-based vector driven by the Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter was constructed. The complete sequence of the SYCMV genome was inserted into a binary vector flanked by a CaMV 35S promoter at the 5' terminus of the SYCMV genome and a cis-cleaving ribozyme sequence followed by a nopaline synthase terminator at the 3' terminus of the SYCMV genome (pSYCMV-full). The SYCMV-derived vector was tested for use as a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) vector for the functional analysis of soybean genes. VIGS constructs containing either a fragment of the Phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene (pSYCMV-PDS1) or a fragment of the small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RbcS) gene (pSYCMV-RbcS2) were constructed. Plants infiltrated with each vector using the Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation method exhibited distinct symptoms, such as photo-bleaching in plants infiltrated with pSYCMV-PDS1 and yellow or pale green coloring in plants infiltrated with pSYCMV-RbcS2. In addition, down-regulation of the transcripts of the two target genes was confirmed via northern blot analysis. Particle bombardment and direct plasmid DNA rubbing were also confirmed as alternative inoculation methods. To determine if the SYCMV vector can be used for the expression of heterologous proteins in soybean plants, the vector encoding amino acids 135-160 of VP1 of Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotype O1 Campos (O1C) was constructed (pSYCMV-FMDV). Plants infiltrated with pSYCMV-FMDV were only detected via western blotting using the O1C antibody. Based on these results, we propose that the SYCMV-derived vector can be used for gene function study or expression of useful heterologous proteins in soybeans.

Establishment of a Simple and Rapid Gene Delivery System for Cucurbits by Using Engineered of Zucchini yellow mosaic virus

The infectious full-length cDNA clone of zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) isolate PA (pZYMV-PA), which was isolated from pumpkin, was constructed by utilizing viral transcription and processing signals to produce infectious in vivo transcripts. Simple rub-inoculation of plasmid DNAs of pZYMV-PA was successful to cause infection of zucchini plants (Cucurbita pepo L.). We further engineered this infectious cDNA clone of ZYMV as a viral vector for systemic expression of heterologous proteins in cucurbits. We successfully expressed two reporter genes including gfp and bar in zucchini plants by simple rub-inoculation of plasmid DNAs of the ZYMV-based expression constructs. Our method of the ZYMV-based viral vector in association with the simple rub-inoculation provides an easy and rapid approach for introduction and evaluation of heterologous genes in cucurbits.

Establishment of an Agrobacterium-mediated Inoculation System for Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic Virus

The infectious full-length cDNA clones of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) isolates KW and KOM, which were isolated from watermelon and oriental melon, respectively, were constructed under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. We successfully inoculated Nicotiana benthamiana with the cloned CGMMV isolates KW and KOM by Agrobacterium-mediated infiltration. Virulence and symptomatic characteristics of the cloned CGMMV isolates KW and KOM were tested on several indicator plants. No obvious differences between two cloned isolates in disease development were observed on the tested indicator plants. We also determined full genome sequences of the cloned CGMMV isolates KW and KOM. Sequence comparison revealed that only four amino acids (at positions 228, 699, 1212, and 1238 of the replicase protein region) differ between the cloned isolates KW and KOM. A previous study reported that the isolate KOM could not infect Chenopodium amaranticolor, but the cloned KOM induced chlorotic spots on the inoculated leaves. When compared with the previously reported sequence of the original KOM isolate, the cloned KOM contained one amino acid mutation (Ala to Thr) at position 228 of the replicase protein, suggesting that this mutation might be responsible for induction of chlorotic spots on the inoculated leaves of C. amaranticolor.

Rapid Construction of Stable Infectious Full-Length cDNA Clone of Papaya Leaf Distortion Mosaic Virus Using In-Fusion Cloning

Papaya leaf distortion mosaic virus (PLDMV) is becoming a threat to papaya and transgenic papaya resistant to the related pathogen, papaya ringspot virus (PRSV). The generation of infectious viral clones is an essential step for reverse-genetics studies of viral gene function and cross-protection. In this study, a sequence- and ligation-independent cloning system, the In-Fusion^® Cloning Kit (Clontech, Mountain View, CA, USA), was used to construct intron-less or intron-containing full-length cDNA clones of the isolate PLDMV-DF, with the simultaneous scarless assembly of multiple viral and intron fragments into a plasmid vector in a single reaction. The intron-containing full-length cDNA clone of PLDMV-DF was stably propagated in Escherichia coli.In vitro intron-containing transcripts were processed and spliced into biologically active intron-less transcripts following mechanical inoculation and then initiated systemic infections in Carica papaya L. seedlings, which developed similar symptoms to those caused by the wild-type virus. However, no infectivity was detected when the plants were inoculated with RNA transcripts from the intron-less construct because the instability of the viral cDNA clone in bacterial cells caused a non-sense or deletion mutation of the genomic sequence of PLDMV-DF. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the construction of an infectious full-length cDNA clone of PLDMV and the splicing of intron-containing transcripts following mechanical inoculation. In-Fusion cloning shortens the construction time from months to days. Therefore, it is a faster, more flexible, and more efficient method than the traditional multistep restriction enzyme-mediated subcloning procedure.

The evolution of soybean mosaic virus: An updated analysis by obtaining 18 new genomic sequences of Chinese strains/isolates

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) is widely recognized as a highly damaging pathogen of soybean, and various strains/isolates have been reported to date. However, the pathogenic differences and phylogenetic relationships of these SMV strains/isolates have not been extensively studied. In the present work, by first obtaining 18 new genomic sequences of Chinese SMV strains/isolates and further compiling these with available data, we have explored the evolution of SMV from multiple aspects. First, as in other potyviruses, recombination has occurred frequently during SMV evolution, and a total of 32 independent events were detected. Second, using a maximum-likelihood method and removing recombinant fragments, a phylogeny covering 83 SMV sequences sampled from all over the world was reconstructed and the results showed four separate SMV clades, with clade I and II recovered for the first time. Third, the population structure analysis of SMV revealed significant genetic differentiations between China and two other countries (Korea and U.S.A.). Fourth, certain SMV-encoded genes, such as P1, HC-Pro and P3, exhibited higher non-synonymous substitution rate (dN) than synonymous substitution rate (dS), indicating that positive selection has influenced these genes. Finally, four Chinese SMV strains/isolates were selected for inoculation of both USA and Chinese differential soybean cultivars, and their pathogenic phenotypes were significantly different from that of the American strains. Overall, these findings have further broadened our understanding on SMV evolution, which would assist researchers to better deal with this harmful virus.

Type 2C protein phosphatase is a key regulator of antiviral extreme resistance limiting virus spread

Effector-triggered immunity (ETI) is an active immune response triggered by interactions between host resistance proteins and their cognate effectors. Although ETI is often associated with the hypersensitive response (HR), various R genes mediate an HR-independent process known as extreme resistance (ER). In the soybean-Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) pathosystem, the strain-specific CI protein of SMV functions as an effector of Rsv3-mediated ER. In this study, we used the soybean (Rsv3)-SMV (CI) pathosystem to gain insight into the molecular signaling pathway involved in ER. We used genome-wide transcriptome analysis to identify a subset of the type 2C protein phophatase (PP2C) genes that are specifically up-regulated in Rsv3-mediated ER. Gain-of-function analysis of the most significantly expressed soybean PP2C gene, GmPP2C3a, showed that ABA-induced GmPP2C3a functions as a key regulator of Rsv3-mediated ER. Our results further suggest that the primary mechanism of ER against viruses is the inhibition of viral cell-to-cell movement by callose deposition in an ABA signaling-dependent manner.

The charged residues in the surface-exposed C-terminus of the Soybean mosaic virus coat protein are critical for cell-to-cell movement

The Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) coat protein (CP) is necessary for virion assembly and viral cell-to-cell and long-distance movements in plants. We previously showed that the C-terminal region of the SMV CP is required for CP self-interaction. In the present study, we generated SMV mutants containing CPs with single amino acid substitutions of the charged amino acids in the C-proximal region. Infectivity and cell-to-cell movement of the SMV mutants were examined in soybean plants. Through this genetic approach, we identified three charged amino acid residues (R245, H246, and D250) in the surface-exposed C-terminus of the SMV CP that are critical for virus cell-to-cell and long-distance movement. Our findings suggest that the identified charged amino acids in the surface-exposed C-terminus of SMV CP are critical for CP intersubunit interactions and thereby for cell-to-cell and long-distance movement and virion assembly.

Rapid purification of Soybean mosaic virus from small quantities of tissue by immunoprecipitation

A rapid, simple, and efficient method for purification of Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) was developed based on immunoprecipitation. Traditional centrifugation-based methods for purification of SMV and other potyviruses require long, complicated procedures and large quantities of infected tissue (100-500 g). The immunoprecipitation procedure described in this study allows the purification of intact SMV virion particles in 4h from 0.5 g of tissue. The reliability of this procedure was demonstrated by RT-PCR and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This method will be useful for high-throughput examination of the physical and morphological properties of virus particles because intact virion preparations ready for TEM observation can be purified rapidly from very small tissue samples.

Helper virus-independent transcription and multimerization of a satellite RNA associated with cucumber mosaic virus

Satellite RNAs are the smallest infectious agents whose replication is thought to be completely dependent on their helper virus (HV). Here we report that, when expressed autonomously in the absence of HV, a variant of satellite RNA (satRNA) associated with Cucumber mosaic virus strain Q (Q-satRNA) has a propensity to localize in the nucleus and be transcribed, generating genomic and antigenomic multimeric forms. The involvement of the nuclear phase of Q-satRNA was further confirmed by confocal microscopy employing in vivo RNA-tagging and double-stranded-RNA-labeling assays. Sequence analyses revealed that the Q-satRNA multimers formed in the absence of HV, compared to when HV is present, are distinguished by the addition of a template-independent heptanucleotide motif at the monomer junctions within the multimers. Collectively, the involvement of a nuclear phase in the replication cycle of Q-satRNA not only provides a valid explanation for its persistent survival in the absence of HV but also suggests a possible evolutionary relationship to viroids that replicate in the nucleus.

The p19 protein of Grapevine Algerian latent virus is a determinant of systemic infection of Chenopodium quinoa

A previous study showed that both Grapevine Algerian latent virus (GALV) and Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) systemically infect Nicotiana benthamiana, but GALV causes systemic infection whereas TBSV causes only local lesions in Chenopodium quinoa (C. quinoa). We recently isolated GALV strain Naju (GALV-N) from Limonium sinense and TBSV strain Sacheon (TBSV-S) from tomato. Both viruses belong to the genus Tombusvirus and have a similar genome organization. To identify determinants of systemic infection of GALV-N in C. quinoa in the current study, we generated infectious clones and capsid protein (CP)-deletion clones for the two viruses and confirmed that CP of GALV-N is required for systemic infection of C. quinoa due to its primary structural role in virus assembly. Through the use of chimeras, we identified a viral factor in addition to CP that contributes to systemic infection by GALV-N. Inactivation of the p19 demonstrated that host-specific activities of p19 are necessary for efficient systemic infection of C. quinoa by GALV-N. Our study is the first report to determine the viral factors required for systemic infection of GALV in C. quinoa.

A single amino acid change in HC-Pro of soybean mosaic virus alters symptom expression in a soybean cultivar carrying Rsv1 and Rsv3

It is generally believed that infidelity of RNA virus replication combined with R-gene-driven selection is one of the major evolutionary forces in overcoming host resistance. In this study, we utilized an avirulent soybean mosaic virus (SMV) mutant to examine the possibility of emergence of mutant viruses capable of overcoming R-gene-mediated resistance during serial passages. Interestingly, we found that the emerged progeny virus induced severe rugosity and local necrotic lesions in Jinpumkong-2 (Rsv1 + Rsv3) plants, while SMV-G7H provoked a lethal systemic hypersensitive response. Genome sequence analysis of the emerged progeny virus revealed that the mutation in CI that had caused SMV-G7H to lose its virulence was restored to the original sequence, and a single amino acid was newly introduced into HC-Pro, which means that the symptom alteration was due to this single amino acid mutation in HC-Pro. Our results suggest that SMV HC-Pro functions as a symptom determinant in the SMV-soybean pathosystem.

Efficient and stable expression of GFP through Wheat streak mosaic virus-based vectors in cereal hosts using a range of cleavage sites: formation of dense fluorescent aggregates for sensitive virus tracking

A series of Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV)-based expression vectors were developed by engineering a cycle 3 GFP (GFP) cistron between P1 and HC-Pro cistrons with several catalytic/cleavage peptides at the C-terminus of GFP. WSMV-GFP vectors with the Foot-and-mouth disease virus 1D/2A or 2A catalytic peptides cleaved GFP from HC-Pro but expressed GFP inefficiently. WSMV-GFP vectors with homologous NIa-Pro heptapeptide cleavage sites did not release GFP from HC-Pro, but efficiently expressed GFP as dense fluorescent aggregates. However, insertion of one or two spacer amino acids on either side of NIb/CP heptapeptide cleavage site or deletion in HC-Pro cistron improved processing by NIa-Pro. WSMV-GFP vectors were remarkably stable in wheat for seven serial passages and for 120 days postinoculation. Mite transmission efficiencies of WSMV-GFP vectors correlated with the amount of free GFP produced. WSMV-GFP vectors infected the same range of cereal hosts as wild-type virus, and GFP fluorescence was detected in most wheat tissues.

The development of an efficient multipurpose bean pod mottle virus viral vector set for foreign gene expression and RNA silencing

Plant viral vectors are valuable tools for heterologous gene expression, and because of virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), they also have important applications as reverse genetics tools for gene function studies. Viral vectors are especially useful for plants such as soybean (Glycine max) that are recalcitrant to transformation. Previously, two generations of bean pod mottle virus (BPMV; genus Comovirus) vectors have been developed for overexpressing and silencing genes in soybean. However, the design of the previous vectors imposes constraints that limit their utility. For example, VIGS target sequences must be expressed as fusion proteins in the same reading frame as the viral polyprotein. This requirement limits the design of VIGS target sequences to open reading frames. Furthermore, expression of multiple genes or simultaneous silencing of one gene and expression of another was not possible. To overcome these and other issues, a new BPMV-based vector system was developed to facilitate a variety of applications for gene function studies in soybean as well as in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). These vectors are designed for simultaneous expression of multiple foreign genes, insertion of noncoding/antisense sequences, and simultaneous expression and silencing. The simultaneous expression of green fluorescent protein and silencing of phytoene desaturase shows that marker gene-assisted silencing is feasible. These results demonstrate the utility of this BPMV vector set for a wide range of applications in soybean and common bean, and they have implications for improvement of other plant virus-based vector systems.

Mutational analysis of interaction between coat protein and helper component-proteinase of Soybean mosaic virus involved in aphid transmission

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV), a member of the genus Potyvirus, is transmitted by aphids in a non-persistent manner. It has been well documented that the helper component-proteinase (HC-Pro) plays a role as a 'bridge' between virion particles and aphid stylets in the aphid transmission of potyviruses. Several motifs, including the KITC and PTK motifs on HC-Pro and the DAG motif on the coat protein (CP), have been found to be involved in aphid transmission. Previously, we have shown strong interaction between SMV CP and HC-Pro in a yeast two-hybrid system (YTHS). In this report, we further analysed this CP-HC-Pro interaction based on YTHS and an in vivo binding assay to identify crucial amino acid residues for this interaction. Through this genetic approach, we identified two additional amino acid residues (H256 on CP and R455 on HC-Pro), as well as G12 on the DAG motif, crucial for the CP-HC-Pro interaction. We introduced mutations into the identified residues using an SMV infectious clone and showed that these mutations affected the efficiency of aphid transmission of SMV. We also investigated the involvement of the PTK and DAG motifs in the CP-HC-Pro interaction and aphid transmission of SMV. Our results support the concept that physical interaction between CP and HC-Pro is important for potyviral aphid transmission. Based on the combination of our current results with previous findings, the possibility that aphid transmission may be regulated by more complex molecular interactions than the simple involvement of HC-Pro as a bridge is discussed.

Molecular variability and genetic structure of the population of soybean mosaic virus based on the analysis of complete genome sequences

The complete genomes of 30 Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) isolates and strains were sequenced in this study. Together with fourteen previously reported sequences, we analyzed the genetic structure of the SMV population. Analyses of genetic diversity showed that different genomic regions of SMV are under different evolutionary constraints and that there was no significant genetic differentiation between East Asian and North American populations of SMV. Phylogenetic analyses revealed a significant correlation between phylogeny of the cylindrical inclusion (CI) gene of SMV and SMV resistance gene 3 (Rsv3)-relating pathogenicity of SMV, suggesting CI might be a pathogenic determinant in Rsv3-mediated disease response. Interestingly, recombination analyses identified 19 'clear' recombination events in the SMV population. Furthermore, as several resistance-breaking strains were identified as recombinants, it appears that recombination might contribute to overcome host resistance in SMV-soybean pathosystem. Our finding suggests that recombination as well as mutation is an important evolutionary process in the genetic diversification of SMV population.

Strain-specific cylindrical inclusion protein of soybean mosaic virus elicits extreme resistance and a lethal systemic hypersensitive response in two resistant soybean cultivars

In the Soybean mosaic virus (SMV)-soybean pathosystem, three independent genes (Rsv1, Rsv3, and Rsv4) conferring resistance to SMV have been identified. Recently, we constructed infectious cDNA clones of SMV G7H and G5H strains and found that these two strains differ in their ability to infect soybean genotypes possessing different SMV resistance genes despite a difference of only 33 amino acids. In particular, pSMV-G7H induced mosaic symptoms systemically in L29 (Rsv3) and provoked a lethal systemic hypersensitive response (LSHR) in Jinpumkong-2, whereas pSMV-G5H could not infect these soybean genotypes. To identify the responsible pathogenic determinants of SMV, we exploited the differential responses of pSMV-G7H- and pSMV-G5H-derived chimeric viruses and amino acid substitution mutant viruses in several soybean genotypes and demonstrated that cylindrical inclusion (CI) protein is the elicitor of Rsv3-mediated extreme resistance and a pathogenic determinant provoking LSHR in Jinpumkong-2. A single amino acid substitution in CI was found to be responsible for gain or loss of elicitor function of CI. Our finding provides a role for CI as a pathogenic determinant in the SMV-soybean pathosystem, and increases the understanding of the basis of the different disease responses of SMV strains.