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Updated: May 29, 2026

Screening and Identification of RNA Silencing Suppressors from Secreted Effectors of Plant Pathogens
Published on: February 3, 2020
The Citrus leaf blotch virus movement protein acts as silencing suppressor
Águeda Renovell1, Mari Carmen Vives, Susana Ruiz-Ruiz
1Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias, Ctra. Moncada-Náquera Km. 4.5, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain.
Abstract:
To counteract plant antiviral defense based on RNA silencing, many viruses express proteins that inhibit this mechanism at different levels. The genome of Citrus leaf blotch virus (CLBV) encodes a 227-kDa protein involved in replication, a 40-kDa movement protein (MP), and a 41-kDa coat protein (CP). To determine if any of these proteins might have RNA silencing suppressor activities, we have used Agrobacterium-mediated transient assays in the green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing Nicotiana benthamiana line 16c. Only CLBV MP was able to suppress intracellular GFP silencing induced by expression of either single- or double-stranded (ds) GFP RNA, but not cell-to-cell or long distance spread of the silencing signal. The MP suppressor activity was weak compared to other characterized viral suppressor proteins. Overall our data indicate that MP acts as a suppressor of local silencing probably by interfering in the silencing pathway downstream of the steps of dsRNA and small RNAs generation.
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