Skip to main content
bioRxiv
  • Home
  • About
  • Submit
  • ALERTS / RSS
Advanced Search
New Results

Exogenous application of dsRNA for the control of viruses in cucurbits

View ORCID ProfileJosemaría Delgado-Martín, View ORCID ProfileLeticia Ruiz, View ORCID ProfileDirk Janssen, View ORCID ProfileLeonardo Velasco
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.14.483310
Josemaría Delgado-Martín
1IFAPA Centro de Málaga, 29140 Churriana, Málaga, Spain
2Universidad de Málaga, Spain
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Josemaría Delgado-Martín
Leticia Ruiz
3IFAPA Centro La Mojonera, 04745 La Mojonera, Almería, Spain
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Leticia Ruiz
Dirk Janssen
3IFAPA Centro La Mojonera, 04745 La Mojonera, Almería, Spain
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Dirk Janssen
Leonardo Velasco
1IFAPA Centro de Málaga, 29140 Churriana, Málaga, Spain
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Leonardo Velasco
  • For correspondence: leonardo.velasco@juntadeandalucia.es
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • Info/History
  • Metrics
  • Supplementary material
  • Preview PDF
Loading

Abstract

The recurrent emergence of virus diseases in intensive horticultural crops requires alternative control strategies. Topical application of dsRNA molecules homologous to pathogens has been proposed as a tool for plant virus control. These dsRNAs induce the silencing mechanism (RNAi) that degrades homologous dsRNAs. Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) represents a serious threat to cucurbit crops. Since genetic resistance to the virus is not yet available in commercial varieties, we aimed to control this virus by RNAi. For this purpose, we obtained constructions both for expressing dsRNA in bacteria to treat cucumber plants by topical application and for agroinoculation in experiments done in the growth chamber. Besides, greenhouse tests were performed in spring and in summer when plants were challenged with the virus and differences in several parameters were investigated, including severity of symptoms, dry weight, total height, virus accumulation and virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs). Spraying of plants with dsRNA reduced significatively CGMMV symptoms in the plants in growth chamber tests. Agroinfiltration experiments done under identical conditions were also effective in limiting the progress of CGMMV disease. In the greenhouse assay performed in spring, symptoms were significatively reduced in dsRNA-sprayed plants and the development of the plants improved with respect to non-treated plants. Virus titters and vsiRNAs were clearly reduced in dsRNA-treated plants. The effect of protection of the dsRNA was less evident in the greenhouse assay carried out in summer. Besides, we investigated the mobility of long (ds)RNA derived from spraying or agroinfiltrated dsRNA and found that it could be detected in local, close distal and far distal points from the site of application. VsiRNAs were also detected in local and distal points and the differences in accumulation were compared. In parallel, we investigated the capacity of dsRNAs derived from genes of tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV), another economically important virus in cucurbits, to limit the disease in zucchini, both by agroinfiltration or direct spraying, but found no protection effect. In view of the results, topical application of dsRNAs is postulated as a promising strategy for CGMMV control in cucumber.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
Back to top
PreviousNext
Posted March 15, 2022.
Download PDF

Supplementary Material

Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv.

NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Exogenous application of dsRNA for the control of viruses in cucurbits
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Share
Exogenous application of dsRNA for the control of viruses in cucurbits
Josemaría Delgado-Martín, Leticia Ruiz, Dirk Janssen, Leonardo Velasco
bioRxiv 2022.03.14.483310; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.14.483310
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo LinkedIn logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
Exogenous application of dsRNA for the control of viruses in cucurbits
Josemaría Delgado-Martín, Leticia Ruiz, Dirk Janssen, Leonardo Velasco
bioRxiv 2022.03.14.483310; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.14.483310

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Subject Area

  • Plant Biology
Subject Areas
All Articles
  • Animal Behavior and Cognition (3607)
  • Biochemistry (7581)
  • Bioengineering (5529)
  • Bioinformatics (20809)
  • Biophysics (10338)
  • Cancer Biology (7988)
  • Cell Biology (11647)
  • Clinical Trials (138)
  • Developmental Biology (6611)
  • Ecology (10217)
  • Epidemiology (2065)
  • Evolutionary Biology (13630)
  • Genetics (9550)
  • Genomics (12854)
  • Immunology (7925)
  • Microbiology (19555)
  • Molecular Biology (7668)
  • Neuroscience (42147)
  • Paleontology (308)
  • Pathology (1258)
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology (2203)
  • Physiology (3269)
  • Plant Biology (7051)
  • Scientific Communication and Education (1294)
  • Synthetic Biology (1952)
  • Systems Biology (5429)
  • Zoology (1119)