[RNA silencing and viral disease induction in plants]

RNA silencing plays an important role in plant resistance against viruses. As a counter-defense against RNA silencing, plant viruses have evolved RNA silencing suppressors (RSSs). RNA silencing is likely to play a major role in disease development. For example, RSSs have been found to disturb the gene expression controlled by miRNAs in plant tissue and organ development, resulting in plant malformation. Mosaic symptoms, which are typical in virus-infected plants, are actually a consequence of local arms race between host RNA silencing and viral RSSs. In addition, recent studies revealed that viral siRNAs could induce RNA silencing even against a certain host gene and thus a disease symptom through a complementary (homologous) sequence coincidentally found between virus and host gene. RNA silencing is the principal mediator of viral pathogenicity and disease induction and therefore should be exploited as a powerful tool for engineering virus resistance in plants as well as in animals.