A single phosphorylatable amino acid residue is essential for the recognition of multiple potyviral HCPro effectors by potato Ny.

Potato virus Y (PVY, Potyviridae) is among the most important viral pathogens of potato. The potato resistance gene Ny confers hypersensitive resistance to the ordinary strain of PVY (PVY), but not the necrotic strain (PVY). Here, we unveil that residue 247 of PVY helper component proteinase (HCPro) acts as a central player controlling Ny strain-specific activation.

Cell Fractionation and the Identification of Host Proteins Involved in Plant-Virus Interactions.

Plant viruses depend on host cellular factors for their replication and movement. There are cellular proteins that change their localization and/or expression and have a proviral role or antiviral activity and interact with or target viral proteins. Identification of those proteins and their roles during infection is crucial for understanding plant-virus interactions and to design antiviral resistance in crops.

Induction and suppression of gene silencing in plants by nonviral microbes.

Gene silencing is a conserved mechanism in eukaryotes that dynamically regulates gene expression. In plants, gene silencing is critical for development and for maintenance of genome integrity. Additionally, it is a critical component of antiviral defence in plants, nematodes, insects, and fungi.

Determinants of Virus Variation, Evolution, and Host Adaptation.

Virus evolution is the change in the genetic structure of a viral population over time and results in the emergence of new viral variants, strains, and species with novel biological properties, including adaptation to new hosts. There are host, vector, environmental, and viral factors that contribute to virus evolution. To achieve or fine tune compatibility and successfully establish infection, viruses adapt to a particular host species or to a group of species.

Polerovirus genomic variation.

The polerovirus (family , genus ) genome consists of single-, positive-strand RNA organized in overlapping open reading frames (ORFs) that, in addition to others, code for protein 0 (P0, a gene silencing suppressor), a coat protein (CP, ORF3), and a read-through domain (ORF5) that is fused to the CP to form a CP-read-through (RT) protein. The genus contains twenty-six virus species that infect a wide variety of plants from cereals to cucurbits, to peppers. Poleroviruses are transmitted by a wide range of aphid species in the genera , and .