Potato spindle tuber viroid as inducer of RNA silencing in infected tomato

• Published in: Molecular plant-microbe interactions Vol. 14; no. 11; pp. 1332 - 1334
• Main Authors: ITAYA, Asuka, FOLIMONOV, Alexey, MATSUDA, Yoshie, NELSON, Richard S, DING, Biao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: St Paul, MN APS Press 01.11.2001; The American Phytopathological Society
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene expression; Gene Silencing; Genes, Plant; Genes, Viral; Lycopersicon esculentum; Lycopersicon esculentum - genetics; Lycopersicon esculentum - virology; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Pathology. Damages, economic importance; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Plant Diseases - genetics; Plant Diseases - virology; Plant viruses and viroids; Potato spindle tuber viroid; Potato spindle tuber virus; RNA, Plant - genetics; RNA, Viral - genetics; Solanum tuberosum - virology; Viroids - pathogenicity; Pospiviroid; Plant pathogen; RNA; Induction; Pospiviroidae; Host virus relation; Virus; Infection; Gene silencing; Vegetable crop; Dicotyledones; Viroid; Angiospermae; Lycopersicon esculentum; Defense mechanism; Spermatophyta; Solanaceae; Potato spindle tuber viroid
• ISSN: 0894-0282; 1943-7706
• DOI: 10.1094/mpmi.2001.14.11.1332

Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd), an RNA plant pathogen encoding no known proteins, induces systemic symptoms on tomato plants. We report detection of small RNAs of approximately 25 nucleotides with sequence specificity to PSTVd in infected plants: an indication of the presence of RNA silencing. RNA silencing, however, did not appear to be responsible for the differing symptoms induced by a mild and a severe strain of PSTVd. The unique structural and biological features of viroids make them attractive experimental tools to investigate mechanisms of RNA silencing and pathogen counterdefense.