Foxtail mosaic virus: A tool for gene function analysis in maize and other monocots

Area of Science:

• Plant Virology
• Functional Genomics
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Viral vectors are crucial tools for plant functional genomics, overcoming limitations of traditional methods.
• Engineered viruses offer efficient ways to study gene function, protein expression, and gene editing.
• Foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV) shows promise as a broad-host-range viral vector, especially for monocots like maize.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the biology and engineering of FoMV as a viral vector.
• To highlight FoMV applications in maize, including gene function studies, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), and virus-mediated overexpression (VOX).
• To discuss FoMV's potential in virus-induced gene editing and its role in the monocot functional genomics toolbox.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on FoMV engineering and applications.
• Analysis of FoMV's capabilities for VIGS, VOX, and gene editing in maize.
• Examination of studies focusing on maize-microbe interactions using FoMV vectors.

Main Results:

• FoMV has been engineered into versatile vectors with distinct capabilities for VIGS and VOX.
• FoMV effectively delivers guide RNAs for gene editing in maize, demonstrating its utility in this application.
• A significant number of studies utilize FoMV for VIGS/VOX in maize, particularly for investigating maize-microbe interactions.

Conclusions:

• Foxtail mosaic virus is an emerging and powerful viral vector for functional genomics in maize and other monocots.
• Its applications in VIGS, VOX, and gene editing significantly contribute to understanding gene function and plant-microbe interactions.
• FoMV broadens the scope of the monocot functional genomics toolbox, offering efficient and adaptable research solutions.