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Subviral Agents01:29

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Potato spindle tuber viroid: the simplicity paradox resolved?

Robert A Owens1

  • 1Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service-Beltsville, MD 20705, USA. robert.a.owens@ars.usda.gov

Molecular Plant Pathology
|May 29, 2010
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Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) is a small RNA that infects plants like potato and tomato. It causes symptoms such as tuber elongation and leaf wrinkling, with severity depending on strain and temperature.

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Area of Science:

  • Plant pathology
  • Virology
  • Molecular biology

Background:

  • Viroids are small, circular, single-stranded RNA pathogens that replicate autonomously in host plants.
  • Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) is the type species of the genus Posipiviroid, distinguished by the absence of hammerhead ribozymes and the presence of a central conserved region.
  • PSTVd has a limited natural host range but a broad experimental host range, particularly in Solanaceae species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the taxonomy, physical properties, hosts, and symptoms associated with Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd).
  • To differentiate PSTVd from other viroid families based on molecular characteristics.
  • To detail the variable symptoms induced by PSTVd in different hosts and under varying conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Taxonomic classification based on molecular features (hammerhead ribozymes, central conserved region).
  • Description of viroid structure and stability (rod-like conformation, nuclease resistance).
  • Host range determination and symptomology assessment in natural and experimental hosts.

Main Results:

  • PSTVd lacks hammerhead ribozymes and possesses a central conserved region, differentiating it from Avsunviroidae.
  • PSTVd exists as circular single-stranded RNA, adopting a structured, nuclease-resistant conformation.
  • Symptoms in potato include obscure foliar signs and tuber elongation, while tomato cultivars exhibit internode shortening, leaf epinasty, and necrosis; symptom severity is influenced by temperature and infection duration.

Conclusions:

  • PSTVd represents a distinct group of plant-pathogenic RNAs with specific molecular and biological characteristics.
  • Understanding PSTVd's host-pathogen interactions and symptom development is crucial for disease management.
  • The classification and characterization of PSTVd provide insights into viroid diversity and evolution.