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Correlation between structure and pathogenicity of potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTV)
1Abteilung Viroidforschung and Rechenzentrum, Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, D-8033, Martinsried, FRG.
The EMBO Journal
|September 1, 1985
Summary
Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTV) virulence is determined by specific RNA sequence variations within its virulence modulating (VM) region. These sequence changes affect the VM region's stability and PSTV's interaction with host factors.
Area of Science:
- Plant Pathology
- Molecular Biology
- Virology
Background:
- Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTV) causes significant crop losses.
- The molecular mechanisms underlying PSTV virulence are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular basis of varying PSTV virulence in different field isolates.
- To elucidate the role of specific RNA sequence variations in PSTV pathogenicity.
Main Methods:
- Sequence analysis of PSTV cDNA using primer-extension.
- Thermodynamic calculations to assess RNA secondary structure stability.
- Comparative analysis of PSTV isolates with differing virulence levels.
Main Results:
- Field isolates of PSTV with different virulence exhibit minor nucleotide differences in two specific regions.
- Despite sequence variations, the PSTV RNA genome length (359 nucleotides) is conserved.
- The 'virulence modulating (VM) region' shows decreased thermodynamic stability with increasing PSTV virulence.
Conclusions:
- A molecular model for viroid pathogenicity is proposed, centering on the VM region.
- Nucleotides in the VM region likely modulate PSTV RNA binding to host factors, determining virulence.
- Understanding the PSTV VM region offers insights into viroid-host interactions and disease development.