Project description:Grapevine rupestris stem pitting-associated virus (GRSPaV) is a widespread virus affecting Vitis spp. Although it has established a compatible viral interaction in Vitis vinifera L. without the development of phenotypic alterations, it can occur as distinct variants that show different symptoms in diverse Vitis species. We investigated the changes induced by GRSPaV in V. vinifera cv Bosco, an Italian white grape variety, by combining agronomic, physiological, and molecular approaches, in order to provide comprehensive information about the global effects of GRSPaV. In two consecutive years, this virus caused a moderate decrease in physiological efficiency, yield performance, and sugar content in berries associated with several transcriptomic alterations. Transcript profiles were analysed by microarray techniques in petiole, leaf, and berry samples collected at véraison and by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) in a time course carried out at five relevant grapevine developmental stages. Global gene expression analyses showed that transcriptomic changes were highly variable among the different organs and the different phenological phases. GRSPaV triggers some unique responses in the grapevine at véraison, never reported before for other plant-virus interactions, such as an increase in transcripts involved in photosynthesis and CO2 fixation, associated with a moderate reduction in the photosynthesis rate and some defence mechanisms, and to an overlap with responses to water and salinity stresses. We hypothesise that the long co-existence between grapevine and GRSPaV has resulted in the evolution of a form of mutual adaptation between the virus and its host. This study contributes to elucidating alternative mechanisms used by infected plants to contend with viruses.
