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Published on: July 1, 2018
Transcomplementation and synergism in plants: implications for viral transgenes?
Jonathan R Latham1, Allison K Wilson
1Bioscience Resource Project, PO Box 6869, Ithaca, NY 14851, USA. jrlatham@bioscienceresource.org
Molecular Plant Pathology
|August 19, 2008
Summary
Viral synergism and transcomplementation, where one virus protein aids another, can enhance various plant infection traits. These interactions, mediated by diverse viral proteins, can occur even between distantly related viruses, impacting plant-pathogen dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Plant virology
- Molecular plant pathology
- Genetics
Background:
- Viral synergism involves one virus enhancing infection by another, while transcomplementation uses viral proteins to support distinct viral infections.
- These phenomena highlight the functional interactions between viral genes and their impact on plant-pathogen relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the characteristics and limitations of viral gene helper functions.
- To assess the effects of viral synergism and transcomplementation on plant-pathogen interactions.
- To provide insights for risk assessment of transgenic crops expressing viral proteins.
Main Methods:
- Compiled and analyzed data from over 150 peer-reviewed publications on viral synergism, transcomplementation, and viral gene exchange experiments.
- Tabulated results to correlate phylogenetic relationships between helper and dependent viruses with specific viral proteins involved.
- Identified enhanced viral traits and the viral proteins mediating these effects.
Main Results:
- Viral synergism and transcomplementation enhance diverse traits: host range expansion, mechanical transmission, infectivity, movement, vector transmission, viral titer, and seed transmission.
- Numerous viral proteins, including RNA silencing inhibitors, replicases, coat proteins, and movement proteins, mediate these helper functions.
- While more common between related viruses, these interactions can occur between highly divergent viral species.
Conclusions:
- Viral gene interoperability is demonstrated through synergism and transcomplementation, occurring across a wide phylogenetic range.
- These findings are crucial for understanding plant-virus dynamics and for assessing risks associated with transgenic crops expressing viral proteins.
- The study identifies potential hazards and highlights data gaps in predicting transgene-mediated transcomplementation effects.
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