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Abstract
Positive-sense single-stranded plant RNA viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that infect many agriculturally important crops. Most known plant RNA viruses are characterized by small genomes encoding a limited number of multifunctional viral proteins. Viral pathogens are considered to be absolutely dependent on their hosts, and viruses must recruit numerous host proteins and other factors for genomic RNA replication. Overall, the replication process depends on virus–plant protein-protein, RNA–protein and protein–lipid interactions. Recent publications provide strong evidence for the important role of chloroplasts in viral RNA synthesis. The chloroplast is considered to be a multifunctional organelle responsible for photosynthesis and for the generation of plant defense signaling molecules. High-throughput technologies (genomics and proteomics), and electron microscopy, including three-dimensional tomography, have revealed that several groups of plant RNA viruses utilize chloroplast membranes to assemble viral replication complexes (VRCs). Moreover, some chloroplast-related proteins reportedly interact with both viral proteins and their genomic RNAs and participate in trafficking these molecules to the chloroplast, where replication occurs. Here, we present the current knowledge on the important role of chloroplasts in the viral replication process.
Highlights
Positive-sense, single-stranded [(+)ssRNA] viruses are the main agents of many serious diseases of agriculturally important crops
Results obtained mainly using plant viruses that are able to replicate in yeast, as exemplified by TBSV, showed that in the absence of peroxisomes, which are considered the primary site of replication, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) provides an alternative subcellular membrane and that viruses are able to replicate on the ER surface
The viral replication complexes (VRCs) of different plant virus families reportedly might contain the following components: chaperones, viral RNA, and proteins, host endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) that participates in membrane deformation (Nagy and Pogany, 2012; Hyodo and Okuno, 2014; Geng et al, 2017), as well as other cellular proteins involved in lipid metabolism and transport (Barajas et al, 2014)
Summary
Positive-sense, single-stranded [(+)ssRNA] viruses are the main agents of many serious diseases of agriculturally important crops. Virus-induced membrane proliferation and remodeling are very complex processes, and all eukaryotic (+)RNA viruses induce an interaction network between host and viral factors to form VRCs in subcellular membranes (Nagy and Pogany, 2012; Hyodo and Okuno, 2014). The VRCs of different plant virus families reportedly might contain the following components: chaperones (facilitating proper folding of RNA), viral RNA, and proteins, host endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) that participates in membrane deformation (Nagy and Pogany, 2012; Hyodo and Okuno, 2014; Geng et al, 2017), as well as other cellular proteins involved in lipid metabolism and transport (Barajas et al, 2014). Fusion of virus-induced vesicles with chloroplast membranes and chloroplast amalgamation rely directly on SNARE proteins (soluble NSF (N-ethylmaleimide – sensitive factor) attachment protein receptor) that are essential host factors for successful
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