Identification of an ARGONAUTE for Antiviral RNA Silencing in Nicotiana benthamiana

ARGONAUTE proteins (AGOs) are known to be key components of the RNA silencing mechanism in eukaryotes that, among other functions, serves to protect against viral invaders. Higher plants encode at least 10 individual AGOs yet the role played by many in RNA silencing-related antiviral defense is larg...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant physiology (Bethesda) 2011-07, Vol.156 (3), p.1548-1555
Main Authors: Scholthof, Herman B., Alvarado, Veria Y., Vega-Arreguin, Julio C., Ciomperlik, Jessica, Odokonyero, Denis, Brosseau, Chantai, Jaubert, Marianne, Zamora, Alejandro, Moffett, Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acid Sequence
Antivirals
Arabidopsis thaliana
Biological and medical sciences
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genes, Suppressor
Infections
Leaves
Molecular Sequence Data
Nicotiana - genetics
Nicotiana - virology
Nicotiana benthamiana
Plant physiology and development
Plant Proteins - chemistry
Plant Proteins - metabolism
Plants
PLANTS INTERACTING WITH OTHER ORGANISMS
RNA
RNA Interference
Sequence Alignment
Small interfering RNA
Species Specificity
Tomato bushy stunt virus
Tombusvirus
Tombusvirus - physiology
Viral RNA
Viruses
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Summary:ARGONAUTE proteins (AGOs) are known to be key components of the RNA silencing mechanism in eukaryotes that, among other functions, serves to protect against viral invaders. Higher plants encode at least 10 individual AGOs yet the role played by many in RNA silencing-related antiviral defense is largely unknown, except for reports that AGO1, AGO2, and AGO7 play an antiviral role in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). In the plant virus model host Nicotiana benthamiana, Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) P19 suppressor mutants are very susceptible to RNA silencing. Here, we report that a N. benthamiana AGO (NbAGO) with similarity to Arabidopsis AGO2, is involved in antiviral defense against TBSV. The activity of this NbAGO2 is shown to be directly associated with anti-TBSV RNA silencing, while its inactivation does not influence silencing of transiently expressed transgenes. Thus, the role of NbAGO2 might be primarily for antiviral defense.
ISSN:0032-0889
1532-2548
1532-2548
DOI:10.1104/pp.111.178764