Citrus Psorosis virus cell-to-cell movement

MARÍA BELÉN BORNIEGO; GABRIEL ROBLES LUNA; MARÍA LAURA GARCÍA; EDUARDO JOSÉ PEÑA

La Plata

Workshop; Imaging Techniques for Biotechnology and Biomedical Applications; 2016

CCT-La Plata CONICET

Viruses depend on the host cellular machinery for their multiplication and spread and thus are useful tools for the analysis of cellular processes. Plant viruses encode specialized proteins called movement proteins (MPs), essential for the dissemination of their genomes through plasmodesmata (PDs), pores that connect the cytoplasm of neighboring cells (1). Citrus Psorosis virus (CPsV), the type member of the Ophioviridae family, has a tripartite negative-sense single-stranded RNA genome (2). Using viral movement trans-complementation experiments, we identified the movement protein of CPsV (MPCPsV) encoded on RNA 2. When expressed fused to fluorescent markers, MPCPsV localizes to PDs, is transported through the pore acting as a non-cell autonomous protein and enlarges the size exclusion limit of PDs, allowing the free diffusion of GFP (3). Structure prediction and mutational analysis allowed us to determine that the protein belongs to the 30K superfamily of viral MPs (4). Current studies are focused on understanding ophioviruses movement mechanisms and identifying MPCPsV cellular partners.1.Lucas WJ. 2006. Plant viral movement proteins: agents for cell-to-cell trafficking of viral genomes. Virology 344:169-184.2.Moreno P, Guerri J, García ML. 2015. The psorosis disease of citrus: a pale light at the end of the tunnel. Journal of Citrus Pathology 2.3.Robles Luna G, Peña EJ, Borniego MB, Heinlein M, Garcia ML. 2013. Ophioviruses CPsV and MiLBVV movement protein is encoded in RNA 2 and interacts with the coat protein. Virology 441:152-161.4.Borniego MB, Karlin D, Pena EJ, Robles Luna G, Garcia ML. 2016. Bioinformatic and mutational analysis of ophiovirus movement proteins, belonging to the 30K superfamily. Virology 498:172-180.