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SUMMARY:Cucumber mosaic virus promotes its transmission by manipulating pl
 ant-insect interactions - Jack Westwood\, Virology
DTSTART:20120224T130000Z
DTEND:20120224T133000Z
UID:TALK35545@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:24938
DESCRIPTION:Most plant viruses are dependent on insect vectors for plant-p
 lant transmission.  The ability of viruses to indirectly control vector be
 havior through manipulation of host biochemistry may be a major factor in 
 determining the success of virus transmission.  While previous studies hav
 e shown that vector performance is altered on infected plants\, the underl
 ying mechanisms remain elusive.  We found that Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)
  infection of Arabidopsis thaliana induced resistance to its vector\, the 
 peach-potato aphid (Myzus persicae). This was predominantly due to increas
 ed biosynthesis of the aphid feeding deterrent 4-methyl-indol3-ylmethyl gl
 ucosinolate (4MI3M).  CMV is vectored by aphids in a non-persistent manner
  and as it may be acquired and inoculated with a single aphid probe\, feed
 ing deterrence is an extremely effective mechanism in ensuring onward viru
 s transmission.  The CMV 2b RNA silencing suppressor was partially respons
 ible for this\, however it was not the only viral elicitor of anti-aphid r
 esistance.  Aphids feeding on transgenic plants constitutively expressing 
 2b and mutant plants defective in miRNA-regulation of gene expression show
 ed no reluctance to feed yet these plants were toxic to the aphids.  We th
 erefore propose that CMV has 2b-independent and 2b-dependent mechanisms of
  inducing aphid resistance that confer feeding deterrence and toxicity res
 pectively.   In CMV-infected plants\, the 2b-independent processes dominat
 e since feeding deterrence masks the antibiotic effect conferred through d
 isruption of silencing by 2b and we propose that this facilitates virus tr
 ansmission.
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
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