Virus and Host Plant Interactions

Citation

Wang AM (2018) Virus and Host Plant Interactions. eLS. doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0000758.pub3John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net

Plain language summary

Plant viruses infect almost all crops and cause serious diseases worldwide. Currently, viral pathogens account for the largest proportion of newly emerging plant diseases and as such, are considered a major constraint to agriculture, threatening global food security. All plant viruses have relatively small genomes with limited coding capacity. They must co‐opt cellular pathways and recruit host proteins and metabolites to complete their infection cycle. To combat virus infection, plants have evolved sophisticated defence mechanisms. In order to establish infection, viruses have also evolved virulence strategies to suppress host defence. A successful infection by a plant virus requires compatible molecular interplays between the host plant and the invading virus. A better understanding of the complex virus–plant interactions will assist in the development of novel antiviral strategies.

Abstract

Plant viruses infect almost all crops and cause serious diseases worldwide. Currently, viral pathogens account for the largest proportion of newly emerging plant diseases and as such, are considered a major constraint to agriculture, threatening global food security. All plant viruses have relatively small genomes with limited coding capacity. They must co‐opt cellular pathways and recruit host proteins and metabolites to complete their infection cycle. To combat virus infection, plants have evolved sophisticated defence mechanisms. In order to establish infection, viruses have also evolved virulence strategies to suppress host defence. A successful infection by a plant virus requires compatible molecular interplays between the host plant and the invading virus. A better understanding of the complex virus–plant interactions will assist in the development of novel antiviral strategies.

Publication date

2018-02-20

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