scholarly journals Artificial Small RNA-Based Silencing Tools for Antiviral Resistance in Plants

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana E. Cisneros ◽  
Alberto Carbonell
Keyword(s):  
Small Rnas ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Plant Viruses ◽  
Antiviral Resistance ◽  
Small Interfering Rnas ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Dna Viruses ◽  
Induce Resistance ◽  
Rna And Dna

Artificial small RNAs (art-sRNAs), such as artificial microRNAs (amiRNAs) and synthetic trans-acting small interfering RNAs (syn-tasiRNAs), are highly specific 21-nucleotide small RNAs designed to recognize and silence complementary target RNAs. Art-sRNAs are extensively used in gene function studies or for improving crops, particularly to protect plants against viruses. Typically, antiviral art-sRNAs are computationally designed to target one or multiple sites in viral RNAs with high specificity, and art-sRNA constructs are generated and introduced into plants that are subsequently challenged with the target virus(es). Numerous studies have reported the successful application of art-sRNAs to induce resistance against a large number of RNA and DNA viruses in model and crop species. However, the application of art-sRNAs as an antiviral tool has limitations, such as the difficulty to predict the efficacy of a particular art-sRNA or the emergence of virus variants with mutated target sites escaping to art-sRNA-mediated degradation. Here, we review the different classes, features, and uses of art-sRNA-based tools to induce antiviral resistance in plants. We also provide strategies for the rational design of antiviral art-sRNAs and discuss the latest advances in developing art-sRNA-based methodologies for enhanced resistance to plant viruses.

scholarly journals Endogenous Viral Element-Derived Piwi-Interacting RNAs (piRNAs) Are Not Required for Production of Ping-Pong-Dependent piRNAs from Diaphorina citri Densovirus

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared C. Nigg ◽  
Yen-Wen Kuo ◽  
Bryce W. Falk
Keyword(s):  
Small Rnas ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Diaphorina Citri ◽  
Dna Virus ◽  
Dna Viruses ◽  
Argonaute Proteins ◽  
Ping Pong ◽  
Pirna Pathway ◽  
Rna And Dna

ABSTRACT Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of small RNAs primarily responsible for silencing transposons in the animal germ line. The ping-pong cycle, the posttranscriptional silencing branch of the piRNA pathway, relies on piRNAs produced from endogenous transposon remnants to direct cleavage of transposon RNA via association with Piwi-family Argonaute proteins. In some mosquito species and mosquito-derived cell lines expressing a functionally expanded group of Piwi-family Argonaute proteins, both RNA and DNA viruses are targeted by piRNAs in a manner thought to involve direct processing of exogenous viral RNA into piRNAs. Whether viruses are targeted by piRNAs in nonmosquito species is unknown. Partial integrations of DNA and nonretroviral RNA virus genomes, termed endogenous viral elements (EVEs), are abundant in arthropod genomes and often produce piRNAs that are speculated to target cognate viruses through the ping-pong cycle. Here, we describe a Diaphorina citri densovirus (DcDV)-derived EVE in the genome of Diaphorina citri. We found that this EVE gives rise to DcDV-specific primary piRNAs and is unevenly distributed among D. citri populations. Unexpectedly, we found that DcDV is targeted by ping-pong-dependent virus-derived piRNAs (vpiRNAs) in D. citri lacking the DcDV-derived EVE, while four naturally infecting RNA viruses of D. citri are not targeted by vpiRNAs. Furthermore, a recombinant Cricket paralysis virus containing a portion of the DcDV genome corresponding to the DcDV-derived EVE was not targeted by vpiRNAs during infection in D. citri harboring the EVE. These results demonstrate that viruses can be targeted by piRNAs in a nonmosquito species independently of endogenous piRNAs. IMPORTANCE Small RNAs serve as specificity determinants of antiviral responses in insects. Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of small RNAs found in animals, and their primary role is to direct antitransposon responses. These responses require endogenous piRNAs complementary to transposon RNA. Additionally, piRNAs have been shown to target RNA and DNA viruses in some mosquito species. In contrast to transposons, targeting of viruses by the piRNA pathway in these mosquito species does not require endogenous piRNAs. Here, we show that piRNAs target a DNA virus, but not RNA viruses, in an agricultural insect pest. We found that targeting of this DNA virus did not require endogenous piRNAs and that endogenous piRNAs did not mediate targeting of an RNA virus with which they shared complementary sequence. Our results highlight differences between mosquitoes and our experimental system and raise the possibility that DNA viruses may be targeted by piRNAs in other species.

scholarly journals Modification of Small RNAs Associated with Suppression of RNA Silencing by Tobamovirus Replicase Protein

2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (19) ◽  
pp. 10379-10388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Vogler ◽  
Rashid Akbergenov ◽  
Padubidri V. Shivaprasad ◽  
Vy Dang ◽  
Monika Fasler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Rnas ◽  
Rna Silencing ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Plant Viruses ◽  
Micro Rna ◽  
Silencing Suppressor ◽  
Small Interfering Rnas ◽  
Suppressor Activity ◽  
Virus Family ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACT Plant viruses act as triggers and targets of RNA silencing and have evolved proteins to suppress this plant defense response during infection. Although Tobacco mosaic tobamovirus (TMV) triggers the production of virus-specific small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), this does not lead to efficient silencing of TMV nor is a TMV-green fluorescent protein (GFP) hybrid able to induce silencing of a GFP-transgene in Nicotiana benthamiana, indicating that a TMV silencing suppressor is active and acts downstream of siRNA production. On the other hand, TMV-GFP is unable to spread into cells in which GFP silencing is established, suggesting that the viral silencing suppressor cannot revert silencing that is already established. Although previous evidence indicates that the tobamovirus silencing suppressing activity resides in the viral 126-kDa small replicase subunit, the mechanism of silencing suppression by this virus family is not known. Here, we connect the silencing suppressing activity of this protein with our previous finding that Oilseed rape mosaic tobamovirus infection leads to interference with HEN1-mediated methylation of siRNA and micro-RNA (miRNA). We demonstrate that TMV infection similarly leads to interference with HEN1-mediated methylation of small RNAs and that this interference and the formation of virus-induced disease symptoms are linked to the silencing suppressor activity of the 126-kDa protein. Moreover, we show that also Turnip crinkle virus interferes with the methylation of siRNA but, in contrast to tobamoviruses, not with the methylation of miRNA.

scholarly journals Fine-tune control of targeted RNAi efficacy by plant artificial small RNAs

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (11) ◽  
pp. 6234-6250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucio López-Dolz ◽  
Maria Spada ◽  
José-Antonio Daròs ◽  
Alberto Carbonell
Keyword(s):  
Small Rnas ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Small Interfering Rnas ◽  
Control Of Gene Expression ◽  
Precise Control ◽  
Specific Degradation ◽  
Target Rna

Abstract Eukaryotic RNA interference (RNAi) results in gene silencing upon the sequence-specific degradation of target transcripts by complementary small RNAs (sRNAs). In plants, RNAi-based tools have been optimized for high efficacy and high specificity, and are extensively used in gene function studies and for crop improvement. However, efficient methods for finely adjusting the degree of induced silencing are missing. Here, we present two different strategies based on artificial sRNAs for fine-tuning targeted RNAi efficacy in plants. First, the degree of silencing induced by synthetic-trans-acting small interfering RNAs (syn-tasiRNAs) can be adjusted by modifying the precursor position from which the syn-tasiRNA is expressed. The accumulation and efficacy of Arabidopsis TAS1c-based syn-tasiRNAs progressively decrease as the syn-tasiRNA is expressed from positions more distal to the trigger miR173 target site. And second, syn-tasiRNA activity can also be tweaked by modifying the degree of base-pairing between the 3′ end of the syn-tasiRNA and the 5′ end of the target RNA. Both strategies were used to finely modulate the degree of silencing of endogenous and exogenous target genes in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana. New high-throughput syn-tasiRNA vectors were developed and functionally analyzed, and should facilitate the precise control of gene expression in multiple plant species.

scholarly journals RNA-Based Technologies for Engineering Plant Virus Resistance

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Michael Taliansky ◽  
Viktoria Samarskaya ◽  
Sergey K. Zavriev ◽  
Igor Fesenko ◽  
Natalia O. Kalinina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transgenic Plants ◽  
Virus Resistance ◽  
Small Rnas ◽  
Plant Virus ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Control Plant ◽  
Plant Viruses ◽  
Host Susceptibility ◽  
Small Interfering Rnas ◽  
Plant Host

In recent years, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have gained unprecedented attention as new and crucial players in the regulation of numerous cellular processes and disease responses. In this review, we describe how diverse ncRNAs, including both small RNAs and long ncRNAs, may be used to engineer resistance against plant viruses. We discuss how double-stranded RNAs and small RNAs, such as artificial microRNAs and trans-acting small interfering RNAs, either produced in transgenic plants or delivered exogenously to non-transgenic plants, may constitute powerful RNA interference (RNAi)-based technology that can be exploited to control plant viruses. Additionally, we describe how RNA guided CRISPR-CAS gene-editing systems have been deployed to inhibit plant virus infections, and we provide a comparative analysis of RNAi approaches and CRISPR-Cas technology. The two main strategies for engineering virus resistance are also discussed, including direct targeting of viral DNA or RNA, or inactivation of plant host susceptibility genes. We also elaborate on the challenges that need to be overcome before such technologies can be broadly exploited for crop protection against viruses.

scholarly journals PIAS1 potentiates the anti-EBV activity of SAMHD1 through SUMOylation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Farjana Saiada ◽  
Kun Zhang ◽  
Renfeng Li
Keyword(s):  
Lytic Replication ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Dna Viruses ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Protein Protein Interaction ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
Sumo Ligase ◽  
Lysine Residues ◽  
Epstein Barr ◽  
Rna And Dna

Abstract Background Sterile alpha motif and HD domain 1 (SAMHD1) is a deoxynucleotide triphosphohydrolase (dNTPase) that restricts the infection of a variety of RNA and DNA viruses, including herpesviruses. The anti-viral function of SAMHD1 is associated with its dNTPase activity, which is regulated by several post-translational modifications, including phosphorylation, acetylation and ubiquitination. Our recent studies also demonstrated that the E3 SUMO ligase PIAS1 functions as an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) restriction factor. However, whether SAMHD1 is regulated by PIAS1 to restrict EBV replication remains unknown. Results In this study, we showed that PIAS1 interacts with SAMHD1 and promotes its SUMOylation. We identified three lysine residues (K469, K595 and K622) located on the surface of SAMHD1 as the major SUMOylation sites. We demonstrated that phosphorylated SAMHD1 can be SUMOylated by PIAS1 and SUMOylated SAMHD1 can also be phosphorylated by viral protein kinases. We showed that SUMOylation-deficient SAMHD1 loses its anti-EBV activity. Furthermore, we demonstrated that SAMHD1 is associated with EBV genome in a PIAS1-dependent manner. Conclusion Our study reveals that PIAS1 synergizes with SAMHD1 to inhibit EBV lytic replication through protein–protein interaction and SUMOylation.

scholarly journals Widespread occurrence of microRNA-mediated target cleavage on membrane-bound polysomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Yang ◽  
Chenjiang You ◽  
Xufeng Wang ◽  
Lei Gao ◽  
Beixin Mo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Gene Silencing ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Small Rnas ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Noncoding Rnas ◽  
Small Interfering Rnas ◽  
Widespread Occurrence ◽  
Membrane Bound ◽  
Different Tissues

Abstract Background Small RNAs (sRNAs) including microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) serve as core players in gene silencing at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels in plants, but their subcellular localization has not yet been well studied, thus limiting our mechanistic understanding of sRNA action. Results We investigate the cytoplasmic partitioning of sRNAs and their targets globally in maize (Zea mays, inbred line “B73”) and rice (Oryza sativa, cv. “Nipponbare”) by high-throughput sequencing of polysome-associated sRNAs and 3′ cleavage fragments, and find that both miRNAs and a subset of 21-nucleotide (nt)/22-nt siRNAs are enriched on membrane-bound polysomes (MBPs) relative to total polysomes (TPs) across different tissues. Most of the siRNAs are generated from transposable elements (TEs), and retrotransposons positively contributed to MBP overaccumulation of 22-nt TE-derived siRNAs (TE-siRNAs) as opposed to DNA transposons. Widespread occurrence of miRNA-mediated target cleavage is observed on MBPs, and a large proportion of these cleavage events are MBP-unique. Reproductive 21PHAS (21-nt phasiRNA-generating) and 24PHAS (24-nt phasiRNA-generating) precursors, which were commonly considered as noncoding RNAs, are bound by polysomes, and high-frequency cleavage of 21PHAS precursors by miR2118 and 24PHAS precursors by miR2275 is further detected on MBPs. Reproductive 21-nt phasiRNAs are enriched on MBPs as opposed to TPs, whereas 24-nt phasiRNAs are nearly completely devoid of polysome occupancy. Conclusions MBP overaccumulation is a conserved pattern for cytoplasmic partitioning of sRNAs, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-bound ribosomes function as an independent regulatory layer for miRNA-induced gene silencing and reproductive phasiRNA biosynthesis in maize and rice.

scholarly journals Phenoxazine nucleoside derivatives with a multiple activity against RNA and DNA viruses

2021 ◽  
Vol 220 ◽  
pp. 113467
Author(s):  
Liubov I. Kozlovskaya ◽  
Viktor P. Volok ◽  
Anna A. Shtro ◽  
Yulia V. Nikolaeva ◽  
Alexey A. Chistov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Viruses ◽  
Rna And Dna

scholarly journals Propidium Monoazide Integrated with qPCR Enables the Detection and Enumeration of Infectious Enteric RNA and DNA Viruses in Clam and Fermented Sausages

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narciso M. Quijada ◽  
Gislaine Fongaro ◽  
Célia R. M. Barardi ◽  
Marta Hernández ◽  
David Rodríguez-Lázaro
Keyword(s):  
Propidium Monoazide ◽  
Dna Viruses ◽  
Fermented Sausages ◽  
Rna And Dna

scholarly journals Identification of Hepatitis C Virus NS5A Inhibitors

2009 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 482-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie A. Lemm ◽  
Donald O'Boyle ◽  
Mengping Liu ◽  
Peter T. Nower ◽  
Richard Colonno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Therapeutic Index ◽  
Dna Viruses ◽  
Genotype 1A ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Ns3 Protease ◽  
Derivatives Of ◽  
Rna And Dna

ABSTRACT Using a cell-based replicon screen, we identified a class of compounds with a thiazolidinone core structure as inhibitors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication. The concentration of one such compound, BMS-824, that resulted in a 50% inhibition of HCV replicon replication was ∼5 nM, with a therapeutic index of >10,000. The compound showed good specificity for HCV, as it was not active against several other RNA and DNA viruses. Replicon cells resistant to BMS-824 were isolated, and mutations were identified. A combination of amino acid substitutions of leucine to valine at residue 31 (L31V) and glutamine to leucine at residue 54 (Q54L) in NS5A conferred resistance to this chemotype, as did a single substitution of tyrosine to histidine at amino acid 93 (Y93H) in NS5A. To further explore the region(s) of NS5A involved in inhibitor sensitivity, genotype-specific NS5A inhibitors were used to evaluate a series of genotype 1a/1b hybrid replicons. Our results showed that, consistent with resistance mapping, the inhibitor sensitivity domain also mapped to the N terminus of NS5A, but it could be distinguished from the key resistance sites. In addition, we demonstrated that NS5A inhibitors, as well as an active-site inhibitor that specifically binds NS3 protease, could block the hyperphosphorylation of NS5A, which is believed to play an essential role in the viral life cycle. Clinical proof of concept has recently been achieved with derivatives of these NS5A inhibitors, indicating that small molecules targeting a nontraditional viral protein like NS5A, without any known enzymatic activity, can also have profound antiviral effects on HCV-infected subjects.

scholarly journals An atypical class of non-coding small RNAs produced in rice leaves upon bacterial infection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ganna Reshetnyak ◽  
Jonathan M. Jacobs ◽  
Florence Auguy ◽  
Coline Sciallano ◽  
Lisa Claude ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Silencing ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Small Rnas ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Kinase Domain ◽  
Transcriptional Gene Silencing ◽  
Small Interfering Rnas ◽  
Post Transcriptional Gene Silencing ◽  
Virulent Strains ◽  
Microbe Interactions

ABSTRACTNon-coding small RNAs (sRNA) act as mediators of gene silencing and regulate plant growth, development and stress responses. Early insights into plant sRNAs established a role in antiviral defense and they are now extensively studied across plant-microbe interactions. Here, sRNA sequencing discovered a class of sRNA in rice (Oryza sativa) specifically associated with foliar diseases caused by Xanthomonas oryzae bacteria. Xanthomonas-induced small RNAs (xisRNAs) loci were distinctively upregulated in response to diverse virulent strains at an early stage of infection producing a single duplex of 20-22nt sRNAs. xisRNAs production was dependent on the Type III secretion system, a major bacterial virulence factor for host colonization. xisRNA loci overlap with annotated transcripts sequences often encoding protein kinase domain proteins. A number of the corresponding rice cis-genes have documented functions in immune signaling and some xisRNA loci coincide with the coding sequence of a conserved kinase motif. xisRNAs exhibit features of small interfering RNAs and their biosynthesis depend on canonical components OsDCL1 and OsHEN1. xisRNA induction possibly mediates post-transcriptional gene silencing but they do not broadly suppress cis-genes expression on the basis of mRNA-seq data. Overall, our results identify a group of unusual sRNAs with a potential role in plant-microbe interactions.

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