Detection and biotechnological potential of the RNAi suppressors

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The plant viruses have evolved to encode the factors, called RNAi suppressors to battle out the host RNAi factors and the infection/ symptom development or lack of it is the result of the balancing actions of these two groups of proteins. The suppressor proteins act in different pathways of RNAi activities and thus many different detection methods need to be devised to isolate and characterize these suppressors. We have developed six different assays to identify the viral RNAi-suppressor molecules and more than thirty suppressors were screened from viruses of various sources including the animal viruses. Some of these detection techniques will be presented. These molecules are generally pathogenic but could be tamed for biotechnological gains. First, we shall provide evidences to show that the ‘AC2’ suppressor from the Mungbean yellow mosaic india virus (MYMIV) could be used for molecular farming. Secondly, the catalytic activities ribozymes could be enhanced in presence of MYMIV-AC2. Thirdly, we will show that the VIGS vectors become robust silencing machines in the absence of suppressors. Fourthly and most importantly, the suppressors are attractive targets for antiviral strategies. The artificial microRNAs provided effective resistance against the Tomato leaf curl virus (ToLCV) when the ToLCVAC2 and -AC4 suppressors were targeted for silencing. Thus a host of interesting research activities is going on at various laboratories of the globe including ours, keeping the RNAi suppressors in the center stage. Biography Dr Mukherjee has completed his Ph.D. (Physics) from Calcutta University. He carried out his postdoctoral assignments at Johns Hopkins and Duke Universities in USA. Currently he is a senior research scientist at ICGEB, a premier biotechnological Institute. He has published more than fifty research papers in respected journals and is a fellow (FNA, FASc., FNASc.) of three important science academies of India. He serves as an expert member in the panel boards of many funding agencies.