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Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Screening and Identification of RNA Silencing Suppressors from Secreted Effectors of Plant Pathogens
Published on: February 3, 2020
Viperin-like proteins interfere with RNA viruses in plants
Radwa Kamel1, Rashid Aman1, Magdy M Mahfouz1
1Laboratory for Genome Engineering and Synthetic Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
Abstract:
Plant viruses cause substantial losses in crop yield and quality; therefore, devising new, robust strategies to counter viral infections has important implications for agriculture. Virus inhibitory protein endoplasmic reticulum-associated interferon-inducible (Viperin) proteins are conserved antiviral proteins. Here, we identified a set of Viperin and Viperin-like proteins from multiple species and tested whether they could interfere with RNA viruses in planta. Our data from transient and stable overexpression of these proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana reveal varying levels of interference against the RNA viruses tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), turnip mosaic virus (TuMV), and potato virus x (PVX). Harnessing the potential of these proteins represents a novel avenue in plant antiviral approaches, offering a broader and more effective spectrum for application in plant biotechnology and agriculture. Identifying these proteins opens new avenues for engineering a broad range of resistance to protect crop plants against viral pathogens.
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