Plant Virus Pathology and Molecular Characterization

Plant viruses pose a global threat to agricultural productivity and food security through the elicitation of a broad spectrum of disease symptoms and their capacity for rapid evolution. Pathological processes range from localised cellular disruption to systemic alterations in host physiology, often mediated by complex interactions between viral factors and host defence systems. Advances in molecular characterisation have elucidated mechanisms of viral replication, movement and host modulation, revealing key roles for RNA silencing pathways, selective autophagy and suppressors of host immunity. High-throughput sequencing and comparative phylogenetics have uncovered vast diversity within plant viromes, reshaping our understanding of virus taxonomy, evolution and host range. These insights underpin new strategies for disease management, including the engineering of durable genetic resistance, targeted RNA interference and the exploitation of autophagy pathways to neutralise viral suppressors. Together, this body of research is informing a more predictive framework for anticipating emergent viral diseases and for developing sustainable crop protection measures.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated that a virus-induced autophagy receptor can both promote and inhibit viral infection by selectively degrading viral suppressors of RNA silencing. In one notable example, the receptor VISP1 targets the suppressor protein of a model plant virus for autophagic turnover during late stages of infection, thereby facilitating symptom recovery without compromising early-stage immunity. This dual functionality highlights a finely tuned host strategy that balances the need to limit viral replication with the mitigation of prolonged disease symptoms. Such findings open avenues for the manipulation of autophagy receptors to enhance crop resilience against a range of plant viruses.

Plant Virus Pathology and Molecular Characterization publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in plant virus pathology and molecular characterization across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Autophagy: A cellular degradation pathway that recycles intracellular components, which can target viral proteins for destruction.

RNA silencing: A host defence mechanism in which small RNAs guide the degradation or translational repression of viral genomes.

Virome: The complete viral complement present within a particular environment or host organism.

Viral suppressor of RNA silencing (VSR): A viral protein that inhibits host RNA silencing pathways to facilitate infection.

References

1. A selective autophagy receptor VISP1 induces symptom recovery by targeting viral silencing suppressors. Nature Communications (2023).
2. In-depth study of tomato and weed viromes reveals undiscovered plant virus diversity in an agroecosystem. Microbiome (2023).
3. Detection of Plant Viruses and Disease Management: Relevance of Genetic Diversity and Evolution. Frontiers in Plant Science (2020).