Viperin-like proteins interfere with RNA viruses in plants

Front Plant Sci. 2024 Jun 4:15:1385169. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1385169. eCollection 2024.

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.

Keywords: CNX2; MoaA; RNA virus interference; molybdenum cofactor synthesis 1A (MOCS1A); viperin; viperin-like proteins.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by BAS/1/1035-01-01 baseline to MM.