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Three C-terminal phosphorylation sites in the Abutilon mosaic virus movement protein affect symptom development and

Tatjana Kleinow1, Marc Nischang, Alexander Beck

  • 1Institute of Biology, Department of Molecular Biology and Plant Virology, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70550 Stuttgart, Germany. tatjana.kleinow@bio.uni-stuttgart.de

Virology
|May 26, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Phosphorylation sites on Abutilon mosaic virus movement protein (MP) are crucial for viral transport and pathogenicity. Mutating these sites altered viral DNA accumulation and symptoms in infected plants.

Area of Science:

  • Plant Virology
  • Molecular Plant-Pathogen Interactions
  • Protein Biochemistry

Background:

  • Abutilon mosaic virus (AbMV) is a plant pathogen belonging to the Geminiviridae family.
  • The AbMV DNA B component encodes a movement protein (MP) essential for intercellular viral transport and pathogenicity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional relevance of phosphorylation sites on the AbMV MP.
  • To determine how specific phosphorylation events influence viral movement and disease development in plants.

Main Methods:

  • Western blot analysis with phospho-amino acid-specific antibodies to confirm MP phosphorylation in yeast and Nicotiana benthamiana.
  • Mass spectrometry to identify specific phosphorylation sites on yeast-expressed MP.
  • Site-directed mutagenesis to generate MP mutants with altered phosphorylation sites (alanine or aspartate substitutions).
  • Co-inoculation of DNA A and DNA B mutants into plants to assess infectivity, symptom development, and viral DNA accumulation.

Main Results:

  • Three critical phosphorylation sites (Thr-221, Ser-223, Ser-250) were identified in the C-terminal domain of the AbMV MP.
  • Mutations at these sites, particularly combinations, significantly altered viral DNA accumulation and symptom severity in systemically infected plants.
  • All generated MP mutants remained infectious when co-inoculated with DNA A, indicating MP is not essential for initial infection but influences disease progression.

Conclusions:

  • Phosphorylation of the AbMV MP at specific C-terminal residues is a key regulatory mechanism.
  • These phosphorylation events play a significant role in modulating viral pathogenicity and systemic spread within the host plant.
  • Targeting MP phosphorylation could be a strategy for controlling AbMV infections.

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