BRC-BIO: Development of two biochemical tools to study Potato virus Y infection in plants

Carthage College, Kenosha WI

Investigators

Abstract

The impact of pathogens, specifically viruses, on living systems, has never been more greatly appreciated than during the age of COVID-19. There is great public awareness of the importance of understanding how viruses infect animal hosts and spread throughout a community. However, host-pathogen interactions in plant systems are less well understood, despite the considerable impact of plants on our lives. This project focuses on Potato virus Y (PVY) that can cause an 80% loss in the yield of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), the fourth-most important crop worldwide. To improve understanding of how this virus circumvents host immunity and spreads through the host, the PI proposes to develop easy-to-use biochemical tools to detect and modify this plant pathogen and to better understand the molecular drivers of viral infectivity. Detecting viral spread will enable identifying early outbreaks of this plant disease to mitigate the impact on the associated agricultural industry. Understanding the molecular drivers of viral infectivity will aid in developing resistant commercial cultivars. The project also provides a framework for introducing undergraduates to viral biology using model organisms and to classic biochemistry techniques in the context of experiential learning. Building upon the PI’s prior work with plant models and investigating host-viral interaction, this project aims to develop and validate two biochemical tools to address two major hurdles to studying how PVY establishes infection in plant hosts: the inability to track the virus as it spreads through the host and the ability to identify the contributions of specific viral sequences to circumventing host immunity. The first tool, a synthetic PVY viral clone, will facilitate the targeted design of chimeric viruses, enabling the identification of the genetic determinants of viral infection. The second tool, an enzymatic reporter probe, will enable viral detection earlier in infection. Together, these tools will enable investigating the virus-host interactions PVY uses to hijack the host and spread throughout the plant. Understanding the protein- protein interactions that enable PVY to establish infection is essential to developing resistant cultivars. To build research capacity, the project will engage students in cross-disciplinary research as part of laboratory-based and course-based activities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.