RNA decay pathways and cytoplasmic RNA granules are altered during Tobacco Mosaic Virus infections and these changes correlate with disease symptoms

GABRIELA CONTI; SEBASTIAN ASURMENDI

Mar del Plata

Congreso; XV Congreso Latinoamericano de Fisiología Vegetal; 2014

Sociedad Argentina de Fisiología Vegetal

RNA metabolism requires the constant removal of aberrant molecules and turnover of residual products (RNA decay and quality control). These pathways are important in the regulation of gene expression and are closely related to the state and activity of numerous regulatory small RNAs. During an infection, viral genes may be in RNA processing pathways probably interfering or altering them. Therefore, the alteration of these processes may be responsible for the generation of numerous symptoms. Here we demonstrate that several genes involved in RNA decay and quality control pathways show altered transcript levels in TMV infected tobaccos and in a transgenic line expressing Movement and Capsid proteins (both with no silencing suppression activity) that shows morphological changes similar to viral symptoms. We observed, by confocal fluorescent microscopy, that RNA cytoplasmic granules (P-bodies and siRNA-bodies) and other transcripts involved in RNA decay show altered structures and subcellular distribution in TMV infected tobaccos and the transgenic line described above. We also determined subcellular co-localization of RNA cytoplasmic granules with movement and capsid protein complexes and also with VRCs. These results suggest that RNA decay and quality control pathways may be involved in the development of numerous TMV symptoms during plant infections.