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Updated: Oct 5, 2025

Dissecting Host-virus Interaction in Lytic Replication of a Model Herpesvirus
Published on: October 7, 2011
Geminiviruses employ host DNA glycosylases to subvert DNA methylation-mediated defense
Xiaojian Gui1,2, Chang Liu3,4, Yijun Qi5,6
1State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
Abstract:
DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism that plays important roles in gene regulation and transposon silencing. Active DNA demethylation has evolved to counterbalance DNA methylation at many endogenous loci. Here, we report that active DNA demethylation also targets viral DNAs, tomato yellow leaf curl China virus (TYLCCNV) and its satellite tomato yellow leaf curl China betasatellite (TYLCCNB), to promote their virulence. We demonstrate that the βC1 protein, encoded by TYLCCNB, interacts with a ROS1-like DNA glycosylase in Nicotiana benthamiana and with the DEMETER (DME) DNA glycosylase in Arabidopsis thaliana. The interaction between βC1 and DME facilitates the DNA glycosylase activity to decrease viral DNA methylation and promote viral virulence. These findings reveal that active DNA demethylation can be regulated by a viral protein to subvert DNA methylation-mediated defense.
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