Gian Paolo Accotto

Global and cell-type gene expression profiles in tomato plants colonized by an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus.

*Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis develops in roots; extensive cellular reorganizations and specific metabolic changes occur, which are mirrored by local and systemic changes in the transcript profiles. *A TOM2 microarray (c. 12 000 probes) has been used to obtain an overview of the transcriptional changes that are triggered in Solanum lycopersicum roots and shoots, as a result of colonization by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae. The cell-type expression profile of a subset of genes was monitored, using laser microdissection, to identify possible plant determinants of arbuscule development,. *Microarrays revealed 362 up-regulated and 293 down-regulated genes in roots. Significant gene modulation was also observed in shoots: 85 up- and 337 down-regulated genes. The most responsive genes in both organs were ascribed to primary and secondary metabolism, defence and response to stimuli, cell organization and protein modification, and transcriptional regulation. Six genes, preferentially expressed in arbusculated cells, were identified. *A comparative analysis only showed a limited overlap with transcript profiles identified in mycorrhizal roots of Medicago truncatula, probably as a consequence of the largely nonoverlapping probe sets on the microarray tools used. The results suggest that auxin and abscisic acid metabolism are involved in arbuscule formation and/or functioning.

Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Sardinia Virus Rep-Derived Resistance to Homologous and Heterologous Geminiviruses Occurs by Different Mechanisms and Is Overcome if Virus-Mediated Transgene Silencing Is Activated

ABSTRACT The replication-associated protein (Rep) of geminiviruses is involved in several biological processes brought about by the presence of distinct functional domains. Recently, we have exploited the multifunctional character of the Tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus (TYLCSV) Rep to develop a molecular interference strategy to impair TYLCSV infection. We showed that transgenic expression of its N-terminal 210 amino acids (Rep-210) confers resistance to the homologous virus by inhibiting viral transcription and replication. We have now used biochemical and transgenic approaches to carry out a fuller investigation of the molecular resistance mechanisms in transgenic plants expressing Rep-210. We show that Rep-210 confers resistance through two distinct molecular mechanisms, depending on the challenging virus. Resistance to the homologous virus is achieved by the ability of Rep-210 to tightly inhibit C1 gene transcription, while that to heterologous virus is due to the interacting property of the Rep-210 oligomerization domain. Furthermore, we present evidence that in Rep-210-expressing plants, the duration of resistance is related to the ability of the challenging virus to shut off transgene expression by a posttranscriptional homology-dependent gene silencing mechanism. A model of Rep-210-mediated geminivirus resistance that takes transgene- and virus-mediated mechanisms into account is proposed.

High similarity among the tomato yellow leaf curl virus isolates from the West Mediterranean Basin: the nucleotide sequence of an infectious clone from Spain

SummaryAn isolate of tomato yellow leaf curl geminivirus, from the first epidemic outbreaks that occurred in Murcia, Spain (TYLCV-M) in 1992, was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The circular single stranded DNA consisted of 2777 nucleotides. The genome organization resembled that of other TYLCV sequenced so far; regulatory signal sequences for bidirectional transcription and for polyadenylation of the transcripts were localized in the sequence. Infectivity of the cloned DNA was demonstrated by subcloning a 1.8 mer of TYLCV-M in pBin19 and agroinoculating it into tomato andNicotiana benthamiana plants. Symptoms and viral DNA forms in agroinfected plants did not differ from those of field infected ones. Sequence comparisons with other TYLCV isolates show a high homogeneity between isolates from the West Mediterranean Basin, suggesting the presence of a geographical cluster.

Typing of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Viruses in Europe

Tomato yellow leaf curl disease is spreading in southern Europe, where it has quickly become a serious problem. In recent years, several virus isolates have been characterised. Although with some genetic variability, all isolates found in Europe belong to one of two species Tomato yellow leaf curl-Sardinia (TYLCV-Sar) or Tomato yellow leaf curl-Israel (TYLCV-Is). Several methods were tested to identify and type TYLCV isolates from field samples: (1) RFLP of a DNA fragment amplified from the coat protein gene; (2) PAGE of a fragment amplified from the C2 gene; (3) dot-blot hybridisation. All methods enabled the detection of the TYLCVs and provided good indications for attributing them to one species or the other. However, for typing purposes, the RFLP method was the most reliable, due to the easily recognisable pattern produced by the two virus species present in Europe. Dot-blot hybridisation is less expensive for identifying TYLCVs in large numbers of samples, particularly when a mixture of two probes is used. PAGE of the C2 fragment is the fastest of the methods tested.

An Ophiovirus isolated from lettuce with big-vein symptoms

Summary. Big-vein is a widespread and damaging disease of lettuce, transmitted through soil by the chytrid fungus Olpidium brassicae, and generally supposed to be caused by Lettuce big-vein virus (LBVV; genus Varicosavirus). This virus is reported to have rigid rod-shaped particles, a divided double-stranded RNA genome, and one capsid protein of 48 kD, but has not been isolated or rigorously shown to cause the disease. We provide evidence that a totally different virus, here named Mirafiori lettuce virus (MiLV), is also very frequently associated with lettuce showing big-vein symptoms. MiLV was mechanically transmissible from lettuce to Chenopodium quinoa and to several other herbaceous test plants. The virus was partially purified, and an antiserum prepared, which did not react with LBVV particles in decoration tests. As reported for LBVV, MiLV was labile, soil-transmitted and had a single capsid protein of 48 kD, but the particles morphologically resembled those of ophioviruses, and like these, MiLV had a genome of three RNA segments approximately 8.5, 1.9 and 1.7 kb in size. MiLV preparations reacted strongly in Western blots and in ISEM with antiserum to Tulip mild mottle mosaic virus, an ophiovirus from Japan also apparently Olpidium-transmitted. They reacted weakly but clearly in Western blots with antiserum to Ranunculus white mottle virus, another ophiovirus. When lettuce seedlings were mechanically inoculated with crude or partially purified extracts from MiLV-infected test plants, many became systemically infected with MiLV and some developed big-vein symptoms. Such plants did not react in ELISA using an LBVV antiserum or an antiserum to tobacco stunt virus, and varicosavirus-like particles were never seen in them in the EM after negative staining. We conclude that MiLV is a hitherto undescribed virus assignable to the genus Ophiovirus. The cause or causes of lettuce big-vein disease and the properties of LBVV may need to be re-evaluated in light of our results.

High Expression of Truncated Viral Rep Protein Confers Resistance to Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus in Transgenic Tomato Plants

A truncated version of the C1 gene of tomato yellow leaf curl geminivirus (TYLCV), encoding the first 210 amino acids of the multifunctional Rep protein, was introduced by Agrobacterium transformation into Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Moneymaker plants under the transcriptional control of an enhanced cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. One R0 plant (line 47) carrying the C1 gene in two loci (A and B) and accumulating the truncated Rep protein (T-Rep), was crossed with either a wild-type plant, or a C1 antisense plant (line 10). The wild type (wt) × 47 progeny were phenotypically homogeneous, contained either A or B locus, expressed high levels of T-Rep protein, had a “curled” phenotype, and were resistant to TYLCV when challenged either by agroinfection or by the vector Bemisia tabaci. In the 10 × 47 progeny, plants carrying only the sense gene behaved like the wt × 47 progeny, while those containing both sense and antisense transgenes did not accumulate the T-Rep protein, showed a normal phenotype, and...

The nucleotide sequence of a geminivirus from Digitaria sanguinalis

The encapsidated single-stranded circular DNA of a geminivirus isolated from Digitaria sanguinalis has been sequenced. The data obtained are consistent with there being one DNA circle of 2701 nucleotides. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence with those of maize streak virus (MSV) and wheat dwarf virus showed 64 and 47% DNA homology, respectively. The sequence has four potential coding regions for proteins of greater than 10 kDa, two in the viral (+) sense and two in the complementary (-) sense. Each of these potential coding regions has a highly homologous counterpart among the seven open reading frames previously described for MSV. Virion DNA contained, in addition to the circular single-stranded DNA, a population of small DNA molecules similar to those associated with MSV particles. A comparison with MSV DNA of the region complementary to these small DNA molecules revealed conserved sequences, which may have a role in defining the limits of these primer-like molecules.

Resistance to tospoviruses in Nicotiana benthamiana transformed with the N gene of tomato spotted wilt virus: correlation between transgene expression and protection in primary transformants.

Nicotiana benthamiana was transformed with the nucleoprotein (N) gene of an Italian isolate of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). Forty-five T1 primary transformant lines were analyzed for the expression of N protein and for resistance to TSWV and three other tospoviruses: impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV), groundnut bud necrosis virus (GBNV), and groundnut ringspot virus (GRSV). Thirteen of these lines were further characterized. Resistance to all TSWV isolates tested was found in two lines. The expression of the transgene (N mRNA) was lower in these resistant lines than in any of the susceptible lines, and the transgene N protein was either absent or present below detectable levels. These lines were susceptible to the other tospoviruses tested, but they developed symptoms milder than controls when inoculated with GRSV. Some of the lines producing high levels of N protein showed delays (of 2-3 weeks) in symptom expression with at least one of the TSWV isolates tested and symptom delay or attenuation with INSV or GRSV (or both). From our results it appears that high expression of TSWV N protein retards, in some cases, disease development by TSWV and INSV. In contrast, the lack of detectable expression of the transgenic N protein, accompanied by limited production of N transcripts, conferred TSWV-specific resistance.

Occurrence and diagnosis of Tomato chlorosis virus in Portugal.

Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV), a new whitefly-transmitted and phloem-limited Crinivirus infecting tomatoes in Europe, is reported for the first time in Portugal. Tomato plants with symptoms of interveinal chlorosis, collected during autumn 1998 and summer and autumn 1999 in Algarve, southern Portugal, were positive in RT-PCR assays using ToCV-specific primers. The amplified 439 bp fragment was sequenced and showed 99% homology with the ToCV sequence in the GenBank database. A digoxigenin–DNA probe was produced and tested in dot-blot with total RNAs extracted from tomato samples. Both the RT-PCR and dot-blot hybridisation procedures enabled rapid and reliable detection of ToCV from field samples.

Transgenically Expressed T-Rep of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Sardinia Virus Acts as a trans-Dominant-Negative Mutant, Inhibiting Viral Transcription and Replication

ABSTRACT We have previously shown that transgenic expression of a truncated C1 gene of Tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus (TYLCSV), expressing the first 210 amino acids of the replication-associated protein (T-Rep) and potentially coexpressing the C4 protein, confers resistance to the homologous virus in Nicotiana benthamianaplants. In the present study we have investigated the role of T-Rep and C4 proteins in the resistance mechanism, analyzing changes in virus transcription and replication. Transgenic plants and protoplasts were challenged with TYLCSV and the related TYLCSV Murcia strain (TYLCSV-ES[1]). TYLCSV-resistant plants were susceptible to TYLCSV-ES[1]; moreover, TYLCSV but not TYLCSV-ES[1] replication was strongly inhibited in transgenic protoplasts as well as in wild-type (wt) protoplasts transiently expressing T-Rep but not the C4 protein. Viral circular single-stranded DNA (cssDNA) was usually undetectable in transgenically and transiently T-Rep-expressing protoplasts, while viral DNAs migrating more slowly than the cssDNA were observed. Biochemical studies showed that these DNAs were partial duplexes with the minus strand incomplete. Interestingly, similar viral DNA forms were also found at early stages of TYLCSV replication in wt N. benthamiana protoplasts. Transgenically expressed T-Rep repressed the transcription of the GUS reporter gene up to 300-fold when fused to the homologous (TYLCSV) but not to the heterologous (TYLCSV-ES[1]) C1 promoter. Similarly, transiently expressed T-Rep but not C4 protein strongly repressed GUS transcription when fused to the C1 promoter of TYLCSV. A model of T-Rep interference with TYLCSV transcription-replication is proposed.