Publications by authors named "John P Carr"

Unlabelled: The cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) 2b protein is a potent counter-defense factor and symptom determinant that inhibits antiviral silencing by titrating short double-stranded RNAs. Expression of the CMV subgroup IA strain Fny-CMV 2b protein in transgenic plants disrupts microRNA-mediated cleavage of host mRNAs by binding Argonaute 1 (AGO1), leading to symptom-like phenotypes. This also triggers AGO2-mediated antiviral resistance and resistance to CMV's aphid vectors.

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Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was the first virus to be studied in detail and, for many years, TMV and other tobamoviruses, particularly tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) and tobamoviruses infecting pepper ( spp.), were serious crop pathogens. By the end of the twentieth and for the first decade of the twenty-first century, tobamoviruses were under some degree of control due to introgression of resistance genes into commercial tomato and pepper lines.

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Vertical transmission, the transfer of pathogens across generations, is a critical mechanism for the persistence of plant viruses. The transmission mechanisms are diverse, involving direct invasion through the suspensor and virus entry into developing gametes before achieving symplastic isolation. Despite the progress in understanding vertical virus transmission, the environmental factors influencing this process remain largely unexplored.

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  • Ilarviruses are largely unexplored plant RNA viruses that can harm crops, consisting of three RNA segments that code for various proteins, including those for replication and movement.
  • A specific protein, CP-RT, is encoded by RNA3 in many ilarviruses due to a process called ribosomal readthrough, which continues translation beyond the coat protein's stop codon.
  • Research on asparagus virus 2 shows that CP-RT is important for systemic infection and RNA silencing suppression, with its function linked to a zinc-finger motif, suggesting new research directions for understanding ilarvirus behavior and transmission.
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  • The cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) 2b protein acts as a suppressor of plant defenses by inhibiting the RNA silencing factor Argonaute 1 (AGO1), which can lead to increased antiviral defenses if this inhibition is excessive.
  • The CMV 1a protein moderates the effects of the 2b protein by sequestering it into P-bodies, thereby preventing too much inhibition of AGO1, which is crucial for CMV replication and its transmission by aphids.
  • Recent studies using fluorescent protein fusions revealed that specific regions of the 2b protein influence its interaction with AGO1 and the 1a protein, but no single point mutation explains these interactions, highlighting the potential role of intrinsic
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  • Aphids pose significant threats to cruciferous crops in tropical regions, making it essential to understand their population dynamics for effective pest management.
  • The study monitored aphids and their natural enemies on cabbage plants in Ghana over five cropping seasons, revealing that population densities peak during specific times, particularly in dry conditions.
  • Factors such as plant age, air temperature, and humidity were key in influencing aphid populations, with different relationships observed between aphids and their natural enemies in the Coastal Savannah and Deciduous Forest zones, indicating the need for tailored management strategies.
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  • * Findings indicated that while the accumulation of endornavirus RNA was stable across different plant lines, the levels of infectious viruses were affected more by the plant genotype than by the presence of endornaviruses.
  • * Ultimately, the study concluded that endornaviruses do not significantly influence seed yield or the transmission of infectious viruses, suggesting no direct beneficial relationship between them.
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  • - The study explored the presence of Phaseolus vulgaris endornaviruses (PvEV) in common bean varieties popular in East Africa, revealing that several varieties were infected with these persistent viruses which may enhance plant resilience.
  • - Out of 26 bean varieties tested, infections were found in multiple combinations, including the first identification of PvEV3 in African common bean, confirming and sequencing the virus genomes in two selected varieties.
  • - Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the distribution of these viruses doesn’t correspond to genetic similarity among the bean varieties, leading to the suggestion that future research is needed to assess the potential beneficial roles of these viruses in agriculture.
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We used a marker gene for paternity analysis to determine if virus infection affected male reproductive success of tomato in bumblebee-mediated cross-pollination under glasshouse conditions. We found that bumblebees that visited flowers of infected plants showed a strong preference to subsequently visit flowers of non-infected plants. The behavior of the bumblebees to move toward non-infected plants after pollinating virus-infected plants appears to explain the paternity data, which demonstrate a statistically significant ∼10-fold bias for fertilization of non-infected plants with pollen from infected parents.

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  • Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) can be transmitted by aphids, and a specific mutant strain (Fny-CMVΔ2b) shows that infected tobacco plants (like Xanthi) develop strong resistance against aphids, reducing their survival and reproduction.
  • The resistance mechanism is linked to the CMV 1a protein, which promotes aphid resistance, while the 2b protein found in wild-type CMV counters this by inhibiting immune responses.
  • Experiments with transgenic tobacco plants revealed that the resistance induced by the 1a protein depends on jasmonic acid (JA)-dependent signaling, as these plants did not show resistance when JA signaling was disrupted.
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  • Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) affects tomato plants and is transmitted by aphids; the study examined how CMV influences aphid behavior through volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by infected plants.
  • The research found that generalist and specialist aphids displayed varying preferences for settling on CMV-infected versus mock-inoculated plants at different time points post-inoculation, indicating that aphids are influenced by the infection status of the plants.
  • Notably, the interaction changes between aphids and plants were linked to specific CMV proteins but did not involve the salicylic acid defense signal, which protects plants from CMV damage without affecting aphid behavior.
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Many aphid-vectored viruses are transmitted nonpersistently via transient attachment of virus particles to aphid mouthparts and are most effectively acquired or transmitted during brief stylet punctures of epidermal cells. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the aphid-transmitted virus cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) induces feeding deterrence against the polyphagous aphid Myzus persicae. This form of resistance inhibits prolonged phloem feeding but promotes virus acquisition by aphids because it encourages probing of plant epidermal cells.

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Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV), bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV), and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) are important pathogens of common bean (), a crop vital for food security in sub-Saharan Africa. These viruses are vectored by aphids non-persistently, with virions bound loosely to stylet receptors. These viruses also manipulate aphid-mediated transmission by altering host properties.

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  • The cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) 2b protein acts as a viral suppressor of RNA silencing, hindering host defenses by targeting key components like AGO1 and influencing host gene regulation.
  • In Arabidopsis thaliana, inhibiting AGO1 entirely is counterproductive for CMV as it activates another defense mechanism involving AGO2 and increases resistance to aphid vectors.
  • Research shows that the CMV 1a protein interacts with 2b, sequestering it in P-bodies to reduce its availability for AGO1, thereby alleviating symptoms while still allowing 2b to perform certain functions in silencing.
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Pathogens disturb alternative splicing patterns of infected eukaryotic hosts. However, in plants it is unknown if this is incidental to infection or represents a pathogen-induced remodeling of host gene expression needed to support infection. Here, we compared changes in transcription and protein accumulation with changes in transcript splicing patterns in maize () infected with the globally important pathogen sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV).

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  • The cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) 2a protein in Arabidopsis thaliana has a dual role, helping control aphid feeding by discouraging them from settling on infected plants (antixenosis).
  • Researchers analyzed the amino acid sequences of 2a proteins from two CMV strains—one inducing antixenosis (Fny-CMV) and one that does not (LS-CMV)—to pinpoint key residues responsible for this effect.
  • The study identified that the crucial amino acid responsible for antixenosis lies between residues 200 and 300, specifically at residue 237, suggesting that valine-237 in the Fny-CMV 2a protein plays a significant role in deterring aphids.
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  • - Salicylic acid (SA) is a vital plant hormone that boosts resistance against various pathogens, including both viral and non-viral ones, by increasing in response to recognition of a pathogen by a resistance gene.
  • - While SA generally aids in reducing viral replication and spread, some viruses can actually trigger its increased production in host plants that are not resistant, using this response to enhance their own proliferation.
  • - Recent studies indicate that the production of SA in plants isn't the same as in bacteria, and the methods of synthesizing SA vary significantly between different plant species, highlighting diverse pathways like shikimate and phenylpropanoid contributions.
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Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV), bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV), and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) cause serious epidemics in common bean (), a vital food security crop in many low-to-medium income countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Aphids transmit these viruses "non-persistently," i.e.

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Phytic acid (inositol hexakisphosphate, InsP ) is an important phosphate store and signal molecule necessary for maintenance of basal resistance to plant pathogens. Arabidopsis thaliana ('arabidopsis') has three genes encoding myo-inositol phosphate synthases (IPS1-3), the enzymes that catalyse conversion of glucose-6-phosphate to InsP, the first step in InsP biosynthesis. There is one gene for inositol-(1,3,4,5,6)-pentakisphosphate 2-kinase (IPK1), which catalyses the final step.

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  • Aphids transmit plant viruses non-persistently, quickly picking up virus particles from infected plants and spreading them to new ones with minimal contact.
  • Virus infections can alter a plant's biochemistry, affecting the release of certain chemicals and making it either more resistant or more susceptible to aphid colonization, depending on the plant type.
  • Research indicates that these changes in plant behavior may influence the transmission dynamics of viruses, with some plants resisting aphid settling while others become more attractive to them, highlighting a complex relationship between viral proteins and the plant's immune response.
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Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), which is vectored by aphids, has a tripartite RNA genome encoding five proteins. In tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), a subgroup IA CMV strain, Fny-CMV, increases plant susceptibility to aphid infestation but a viral mutant unable to express the 2b protein (Fny-CMV∆2b) induces aphid resistance. We hypothesized that in tobacco, one or more of the four other Fny-CMV gene products (the 1a or 2a replication proteins, the movement protein, or the coat protein) are potential aphid resistance elicitors, whilst the 2b protein counteracts induction of aphid resistance.

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  • Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) is a significant pathogen in maize that causes dwarf mosaic disease, and the role of maize phenylalanine ammonia-lyases (ZmPALs) in the plant's defense mechanisms has been explored.
  • SCMV infection leads to increased accumulation of salicylic acid (SA) and expression of pathogenesis-related proteins, and the study found that applying exogenous SA enhances resistance and reduces viral accumulation in maize.
  • Knockdown of ZmPAL genes results in worsened SCMV symptoms and decreased salicylic acid levels, indicating that ZmPALs are crucial for both SA-mediated resistance and the production of secondary metabolites like lignin in response to SCMV infection.
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