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Virus-induced Gene Silencing VIGS in Nicotiana benthamiana and Tomato

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Published on: June 10, 2009

Viroid-induced DNA methylation in plants.

Athanasios Dalakouras, Elena Dadami, Michael Wassenegger

Biomolecular Concepts

|December 2, 2014

Summary

Viroids trigger RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) in plants, a process where RNA molecules guide DNA methylation. This study reviews viroid-induced RdDM mechanisms and proposes three models for its establishment.

Area of Science:

Plant molecular biology
Epigenetics
RNA biology

Background:

DNA methylation is a key epigenetic mechanism in eukaryotes, involving the addition of a methyl group to cytosine residues.
RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) is a process where homologous RNA molecules guide de novo DNA methylation, particularly studied in plants.
Viroids, pathogenic circular non-coding RNA molecules, were the first agents shown to induce RdDM.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide a comprehensive overview of existing data on viroid-induced RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM).
To explore and discuss potential mechanistic scenarios for the establishment of viroid-induced RdDM.

Main Methods:

Review of cumulative data from studies on viroid-induced RdDM.
Analysis of the role of RNA silencing machinery and viroid-derived small RNAs (vd-sRNAs).

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Discussion of mechanistic models for RdDM establishment in response to viroid infection.

Main Results:

Viroids, especially Pospiviroidae family members, replicate via double-stranded RNA intermediates.
These intermediates recruit the host RNA silencing machinery, leading to the production of vd-sRNAs.
vd-sRNAs mediate both RNA degradation and DNA methylation of complementary sequences.

Conclusions:

Viroid infection effectively hijacks the plant's epigenetic machinery to induce DNA methylation.
Understanding the mechanisms of viroid-induced RdDM provides insights into epigenetic regulation and plant-pathogen interactions.
Three distinct mechanistic scenarios for RdDM establishment are proposed for further investigation.