Complex Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) populations composed of mixtures of different strains of the ... more Complex Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) populations composed of mixtures of different strains of the virus are commonly found in citrus trees in the field. At present, little is known about how these populations are formed, maintained, and how they are structured within a host. Here we used a novel in situ hybridization approach allowing simultaneous visualization of two different RNA targets with high sensitivity and specificity to examine the distribution of two isolates, T36 and T68-1, representing phylogenetically distinct strains of CTV, in a citrus host in single and mixed infections. Remarkably, in doubly inoculated plants the two virus variants appeared to be well mixed within the infected tissue and showed no spatial segregation. In addition, both CTV variants were often found occupying the same cells. Possible mechanisms involved in shaping CTV populations and the biological significance of the observed lack of structural separation of the individual components are discussed.
Superinfection exclusion (SIE), a phenomenon in which a primary virus infection prevents a second... more Superinfection exclusion (SIE), a phenomenon in which a primary virus infection prevents a secondary infection with the same or closely related virus, has been observed with various viruses. Earlier we demonstrated that SIE by Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) requires viral p33 protein. In this work we show that p33 alone is not sufficient for virus exclusion. To define the additional viral components that are involved in this phenomenon, we engineered a hybrid virus in which a 5'-proximal region in the genome of the T36 isolate containing coding sequences for the two leader proteases L1 and L2 has been substituted with a corresponding region from the genome of a heterologous T68-1 isolate. Sequential inoculation of plants pre-infected with the CTV L1L2T68 hybrid with T36 CTV resulted in superinfection with the challenge virus, which indicated that the substitution of the L1-L2 coding region affected SIE ability of the virus.
Superinfection exclusion (SIE), the ability of an established virus infection to interfere with a... more Superinfection exclusion (SIE), the ability of an established virus infection to interfere with a secondary infection by the same or a closely related virus, has been described for different viruses, including important pathogens of humans, animals, and plants. Citrus tristeza virus (CTV), a positive-sense RNA virus, represents a valuable model system for studying SIE due to the existence of several phylogenetically distinct strains. Furthermore, CTV allows SIE to be examined at the whole-organism level. Previously, we demonstrated that SIE by CTV is a virus-controlled function that requires the viral protein p33. In this study, we show that p33 mediates SIE at the whole-organism level, while it is not required for exclusion at the cellular level. Primary infection of a host with a fluorescent protein-tagged CTV variant lacking p33 did not interfere with the establishment of a secondary infection by the same virus labeled with a different fluorescent protein. However, cellular coinf...
The X-ray crystal structure of the 2C-methyl-d-erythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate synthase (MCS) fro... more The X-ray crystal structure of the 2C-methyl-d-erythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate synthase (MCS) from Arabidopsis thaliana has been solved at 2.3 Å resolution in complex with a cytidine-5-monophosphate (CMP) molecule. This is the first structure determined of an MCS enzyme from a plant. Major differences between the A. thaliana and bacterial MCS structures are found in the large molecular cavity that forms between subunits and involve residues that are highly conserved among plants. In some bacterial enzymes, the corresponding cavity has been shown to be an isoprenoid diphosphate-like binding pocket, with a proposed feedback-regulatory role. Instead, in the structure from A. thaliana the cavity is unsuited for binding a diphosphate moiety, which suggests a different regulatory mechanism of MCS enzymes between bacteria and plants.
Complex Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) populations composed of mixtures of different strains of the ... more Complex Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) populations composed of mixtures of different strains of the virus are commonly found in citrus trees in the field. At present, little is known about how these populations are formed, maintained, and how they are structured within a host. Here we used a novel in situ hybridization approach allowing simultaneous visualization of two different RNA targets with high sensitivity and specificity to examine the distribution of two isolates, T36 and T68-1, representing phylogenetically distinct strains of CTV, in a citrus host in single and mixed infections. Remarkably, in doubly inoculated plants the two virus variants appeared to be well mixed within the infected tissue and showed no spatial segregation. In addition, both CTV variants were often found occupying the same cells. Possible mechanisms involved in shaping CTV populations and the biological significance of the observed lack of structural separation of the individual components are discussed.
Superinfection exclusion (SIE), a phenomenon in which a primary virus infection prevents a second... more Superinfection exclusion (SIE), a phenomenon in which a primary virus infection prevents a secondary infection with the same or closely related virus, has been observed with various viruses. Earlier we demonstrated that SIE by Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) requires viral p33 protein. In this work we show that p33 alone is not sufficient for virus exclusion. To define the additional viral components that are involved in this phenomenon, we engineered a hybrid virus in which a 5'-proximal region in the genome of the T36 isolate containing coding sequences for the two leader proteases L1 and L2 has been substituted with a corresponding region from the genome of a heterologous T68-1 isolate. Sequential inoculation of plants pre-infected with the CTV L1L2T68 hybrid with T36 CTV resulted in superinfection with the challenge virus, which indicated that the substitution of the L1-L2 coding region affected SIE ability of the virus.
Superinfection exclusion (SIE), the ability of an established virus infection to interfere with a... more Superinfection exclusion (SIE), the ability of an established virus infection to interfere with a secondary infection by the same or a closely related virus, has been described for different viruses, including important pathogens of humans, animals, and plants. Citrus tristeza virus (CTV), a positive-sense RNA virus, represents a valuable model system for studying SIE due to the existence of several phylogenetically distinct strains. Furthermore, CTV allows SIE to be examined at the whole-organism level. Previously, we demonstrated that SIE by CTV is a virus-controlled function that requires the viral protein p33. In this study, we show that p33 mediates SIE at the whole-organism level, while it is not required for exclusion at the cellular level. Primary infection of a host with a fluorescent protein-tagged CTV variant lacking p33 did not interfere with the establishment of a secondary infection by the same virus labeled with a different fluorescent protein. However, cellular coinf...
The X-ray crystal structure of the 2C-methyl-d-erythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate synthase (MCS) fro... more The X-ray crystal structure of the 2C-methyl-d-erythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate synthase (MCS) from Arabidopsis thaliana has been solved at 2.3 Å resolution in complex with a cytidine-5-monophosphate (CMP) molecule. This is the first structure determined of an MCS enzyme from a plant. Major differences between the A. thaliana and bacterial MCS structures are found in the large molecular cavity that forms between subunits and involve residues that are highly conserved among plants. In some bacterial enzymes, the corresponding cavity has been shown to be an isoprenoid diphosphate-like binding pocket, with a proposed feedback-regulatory role. Instead, in the structure from A. thaliana the cavity is unsuited for binding a diphosphate moiety, which suggests a different regulatory mechanism of MCS enzymes between bacteria and plants.
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Papers by Maria Bergua