A nuclear-replicating viroid antagonizes infectivity and accumulation of a geminivirus by upregulating methylation-related genes and inducing hypermethylation of viral DNA.

ABSTRACT: DNA methylation and post-transcriptional gene silencing play critical roles in controlling infection of single-stranded (ss) DNA geminiviruses and ssRNA viroids, respectively, but both pathogens can counteract these host defense mechanisms and promote their infectivity. Moreover, a specific role of DNA methylation in viroid-host interactions is not yet confirmed. Here, using an experimental system where two nuclear-replicating agents, the geminivirus tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus (TYLCSV) and potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd), co-infect their common host tomato, we observed that PSTVd severely interferes with TYLCSV infectivity and accumulation, most likely as a consequence of strong activation of host DNA methylation pathways. In fact, PSTVd alone or in co-infection with TYLCSV

SUBMITTER: Torchetti EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5064398 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature