Effect of elevated CO_2 and O_3 on phytohormone-mediated plant resistance to vector insects and insect-borne plant viruses

Climatic variations are becoming important limiting factors for agriculture productivity,as they not only directly affect the plant net primary productivity but can also modulate the outbreak of plant diseases and pests.Elevated CO_2 and O_3 are two important climatic factors that have been widely studied before.Elevated CO_2 or O_3 alters the host plant physiology and affects the vector insects and plant viruses via bottom-up effects of the host plants.Many studies have shown that elevated CO_2 or O_3 decreases the plant nitrogen content,which modulates the characteristics of vector insects.Recent evidence also reveals that hormone-dependent signaling pathways play a critical role in regulating the response of insects and plant viruses to elevated CO_2 or O_3.In the current review,we describe how elevated CO_2 or O_3 affects the vector insects and plant viruses by altering the SA and JA signaling pathways.We also discuss how changes in the feeding behavior of vector insects or the occurrence of plant viruses affects the interactions between vector insects and plant viruses under elevated CO_2 or O_3.We suggest that new insights into the upstream network that regulates hormone signaling and top-down effects of natural enemies would provide a comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions taking place under elevated CO_2 or O_3.     

Viral detection by electron microscopy: past, present and future

Viruses are very small and most of them can be seen only by TEM (transmission electron microscopy). TEM has therefore made a major contribution to virology, including the discovery of many viruses, the diagnosis of various viral infections and fundamental investigations of virus-host cell interactions. However, TEM has gradually been replaced by more sensitive methods, such as the PCR. In research, new imaging techniques for fluorescence light microscopy have supplanted TEM, making it possible to study live cells and dynamic interactions between viruses and the cellular machinery. Nevertheless, TEM remains essential for certain aspects of virology. It is very useful for the initial identification of unknown viral agents in particular outbreaks, and is recommended by regulatory agencies for investigation of the viral safety of biological products and/or the cells used to produce them. In research, only TEM has a resolution sufficiently high for discrimination between aggregated viral proteins and structured viral particles. Recent examples of different viral assembly models illustrate the value of TEM for improving our understanding of virus-cell interactions.     

Butterfly host plant range: an example of plasticity as a promoter of speciation?

Mary Jane West-Eberhard has suggested that plasticity may be of primary importance in promoting evolutionary innovation and diversification. Here, we explore the possibility that the diversification of phytophagous insects may have occurred through such a process, using examples from nymphalid butterflies. We discuss the ways in which host plant range is connected to plasticity and present our interpretation of how West-Eberhard’s scenario may result in speciation driven by plasticity in host utilization. We then review some of the evidence that diversity of plant utilization has driven the diversification of phytophagous insects and finally discuss whether this suggests a role for plasticity-driven speciation. We find a close conceptual connection between our theory that the diversification of phytophagous insects has been driven by oscillations in host range, and our personal interpretation of the most efficient way in which West-Eberhard’s theory could account for plasticity-driven speciation. A major unresolved issue is the extent to which a wide host plant range is due to adaptive plasticity with dedicated modules of genetic machinery for utilizing different plants.     

Early interactions during the encounter of plants,aphids and arboviruses

Aphids infest many plants and cause damage by depriving them of nutrients and by transmitting many viral diseases. Aphid infestation and arbovirus transmission are controlled by establishment (or not) of a compatible reaction between the insects and the plants. This reaction is the result of defense reactions of the plant and counter-defense reactions of the parasite. Contrarily to plant-bacteria, plant-fungi and plant-herbivorous insects pathosystems, the plant-aphid pathosystem is understudied, although recent advances have begun to uncover some of its details. Especially the very early steps in plant-aphid interactions are hardly known. We here resume the present knowledge of these interactions. We discuss further how an aphid-transmitted plant virus that is transmitted during the first moments of the plant-aphid encounter, might help to study the very early plant aphid interactions.     

A conceptual framework for studying the strength of plant–animal mutualistic interactions

The strength of species interactions influences strongly the structure and dynamics of ecological systems. Thus, quantifying such strength is crucial to understand how species interactions shape communities and ecosystems. Although the concepts and measurement of interaction strength in food webs have received much attention, there has been comparatively little progress in the context of mutualism. We propose a conceptual scheme for studying the strength of plant–animal mutualistic interactions. We first review the interaction strength concepts developed for food webs, and explore how these concepts have been applied to mutualistic interactions. We then outline and explain a conceptual framework for defining ecological effects in plant–animal mutualisms. We give recommendations for measuring interaction strength from data collected in field studies based on a proposed approach for the assessment of interaction strength in plant–animal mutualisms. This approach is conceptually integrative and methodologically feasible, as it focuses on two key variables usually measured in field studies: the frequency of interactions and the fitness components influenced by the interactions.     

Virus-induced gene silencing in plants

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a technology that exploits an RNA-mediated antiviral defense mechanism. In plants infected with unmodified viruses the mechanism is specifically targeted against the viral genome. However, with virus vectors carrying inserts derived from host genes the process can be additionally targeted against the corresponding mRNAs. VIGS has been used widely in plants for analysis of gene function and has been adapted for high-throughput functional genomics. Until now most applications of VIGS have been in Nicotiana benthamiana. However, new vector systems and methods are being developed that could be used in other plants, including Arabidopsis. Here we discuss practical and theoretical issues that are specific to VIGS rather than other gene "knock down" or "knockout" approaches to gene function. We also describe currently used protocols that have allowed us to apply VIGS to the identification of genes required for disease resistance in plants. These methods and the underlying general principles also apply when VIGS is used in the analysis of other aspects of plant biology.     

Can plants use entomopathogens as bodyguards?

For 20 years, ecologists have been gathering evidence in support of the hypothesis that plants can use insect natural enemies such as predators and parasitoids as bodyguards to protect themselves from herbivory, but entomopathogens have escaped this consideration. We extend the bodyguard hypothesis to ask whether plants can use entomopathogens as bodyguards. We first discuss the evolutionary context of such tritrophic interactions and then categorize possible mechanisms as: (1) maintaining a population of bodyguards on the plant surface, (2) increasing contact rates between insect host and pathogen and (3) increasing the susceptibility of the host. We explore these mechanisms further, examining published studies for evidence for the hypothesis. We then discuss potential costs to the plant of promoting pathogens as bodyguards which may include a reduction in the efficiency of other "bodyguard" species, the incidental promotion of plant pathogens and the risk of entomopathogens developing phytopathogenicity. Aside from our intention to stimulate the testing of the bodyguard hypothesis with entompathogens and to provide a conceptual framework for this, we hope to bring evolutionary ecology and insect pathology closer together.     

Plant Immune Responses Against Viruses: How Does a Virus Cause Disease?

Plants respond to pathogens using elaborate networks of genetic interactions. Recently, significant progress has been made in understanding RNA silencing and how viruses counter this apparently ubiquitous antiviral defense. In addition, plants also induce hypersensitive and systemic acquired resistance responses, which together limit the virus to infected cells and impart resistance to the noninfected tissues. Molecular processes such as the ubiquitin proteasome system and DNA methylation are also critical to antiviral defenses. Here, we provide a summary and update of advances in plant antiviral immune responses, beyond RNA silencing mechanisms—advances that went relatively unnoticed in the realm of RNA silencing and nonviral immune responses. We also document the rise of Brachypodium and Setaria species as model grasses to study antiviral responses in Poaceae, aspects that have been relatively understudied, despite grasses being the primary source of our calories, as well as animal feed, forage, recreation, and biofuel needs in the 21st century. Finally, we outline critical gaps, future prospects, and considerations central to studying plant antiviral immunity. To promote an integrated model of plant immunity, we discuss analogous viral and nonviral immune concepts and propose working definitions of viral effectors, effector-triggered immunity, and viral pathogen-triggered immunity.     

Pulsed electrophoresis: Some implications of reptation theories

This is an attempt to provide some theoretical guidelines for understanding and developing the pulsed electrophoresis techniques proposed as powerful means for separating very large macromolecules such as chromosome-sized DNA. We show that even a simple approach using recent theories for biased reptation and ignoring the detailed shape of relaxation functions leads to nontrivial predictions. These predictions are used to discuss the presently available pulsed electrophoresis methods. We focus on several practical limits imposed on experiments by the critical values of the parameters associated with different electrophoresis regimes, such as the limiting effective velocity, or the mobility gap associated with the drift resonance. Some conceptual problems that do not seem to have been considered yet are identified. In particular, we show that the early expectation that orthogonal-field pulsed electrophoresis could be an efficient way to fight chain orientation is probably unpractical. We propose a different approach, emphasizing resonance aspects.     

New viral vector for efficient production of target proteins in plants

A new potato virus X (PVX)-based viral vector for superproduction of target proteins in plants has been constructed. The triple gene block and coat protein gene of PVX were substituted by green fluorescent protein. This reduced viral vector was delivered into plant cells by agroinjection (injection of Agrobacterium tumefaciens cells, carrying viral vector cDNA within T-DNA, into plant leaves), and this approach allowed to dramatically reduce the size of the vector genome. The novel vector can be used for production of different proteins including pharmaceuticals in plants.     

Modeling Regulatory Networks to Understand Plant Development: Small Is Beautiful

We now have unprecedented capability to generate large data sets on the myriad genes and molecular players that regulate plant development. Networks of interactions between systems components can be derived from that data in various ways and can be used to develop mathematical models of various degrees of sophistication. Here, we discuss why, in many cases, it is productive to focus on small networks. We provide a brief and accessible introduction to relevant mathematical and computational approaches to model regulatory networks and discuss examples of small network models that have helped generate new insights into plant biology (where small is beautiful), such as in circadian rhythms, hormone signaling, and tissue patterning. We conclude by outlining some of the key technical and modeling challenges for the future.     

植物RNA病毒载体构建策略

作为对传统的植物转化载体的补充,植物ＲＮＡ病毒载体具有受体植物广泛,且转化需要的时间短,特别适宜于大量表达外源基因．虽然外源基因的稳定性存在一定的问题,但大量的事例说明,作为一种新型的外源基因在植物中表达的载体,它具有其独到的特点．本文就最新利用ＲＮＡ病毒转化植物的报道进行了综述     

Negri bodies and other virus membrane-less replication compartments

Viruses reshape the organization of the cell interior to achieve different steps of their cellular cycle. Particularly, viral replication and assembly often take place in viral factories where specific viral and cellular proteins as well as nucleic acids concentrate. Viral factories can be either membrane-delimited or devoid of any cellular membranes. In the latter case, they are referred as membrane-less replication compartments. The most emblematic ones are the Negri bodies, which are inclusion bodies that constitute the hallmark of rabies virus infection. Interestingly, Negri bodies and several other viral replication compartments have been shown to arise from a liquid-liquid phase separation process and, thus, constitute a new class of liquid organelles. This is a paradigm shift in the field of virus replication. Here, we review the different aspects of membrane-less virus replication compartments with a focus on the Mononegavirales order and discuss their interactions with the host cell machineries and the cytoskeleton. We particularly examine the interplay between viral factories and the cellular innate immune response, of which several components also form membrane-less condensates in infected cells.     

Epidemiology of insect-transmitted plant viruses: modelling disease dynamics and control interventions

Abstract. Plant viruses are an important constraint to crop production world‐wide. Rarely have plant virologists, vector entomologists and crop specialists worked together in search of sustainable management practices for viral diseases. Historically, modelling approaches have been vector‐based dealing with empirical forecasting systems or simulation of vector population dynamics. More recently, epidemiological models, such as those used in human/animal epidemiology, have been introduced in an attempt to characterize and analyse the population ecology of viral diseases. The theoretical bases for these models and their use in evaluating control strategies in terms of the interactions between host, virus and vector are considered here. Vector activity and behaviour, especially in relation to virus transmission, are important determinants of the rate and extent of epidemic development. The applicability and flexibility of these models are illustrated by reference to specific case studies, including the increasing importance of whitefly‐transmitted viruses. Some outstanding research and methodological issues are considered.     

Single introductions of soil biota and plants generate long‐term legacies in soil and plant community assembly

Recent demonstrations of the role of plant–soil biota interactions have challenged the conventional view that vegetation changes are mainly driven by changing abiotic conditions. However, while this concept has been validated under natural conditions, our understanding of the long‐term consequences of plant–soil interactions for above‐belowground community assembly is restricted to mathematical and conceptual model projections. Here, we demonstrate experimentally that one‐time additions of soil biota and plant seeds alter soil‐borne nematode and plant community composition in semi‐natural grassland for 20 years. Over time, aboveground and belowground community composition became increasingly correlated, suggesting an increasing connectedness of soil biota and plants. We conclude that the initial composition of not only plant communities, but also soil communities has a long‐lasting impact on the trajectory of community assembly.     

Molecular dialogues between viruses and receptor-like kinases in plants

Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) play a prominent role in the interaction between plants and extracellular pathogens. Intriguingly, in the past few years several studies have demonstrated that a number of RLKs influence plant susceptibility to viruses and, in some cases, interact with viral proteins. In this review, we will summarize and discuss recent advances suggesting a direct role for RLKs in plant–virus interactions.