Cylindrical inclusion protein of chilli veinal mottle virus promotes elevated viral titers of pod pepper vein yellows virus
摘要
Mixed viral infections occur commonly in field plants. Such co-infections can lead to elevated titers of one or both viruses, potentially exacerbating symptom severity. When Nicotiana benthamiana was infected with chilli veinal mottle virus (ChiVMV, a potyvirus) and pod pepper vein yellows virus (PPeVYV, a polerovirus), there were enhanced titers of PPeVYV compared with a single infection. Immunological studies showed that ChiVMV facilitated the invasion of PPeVYV into mesophyll tissues, but did not enable the mechanical transmission of PPeVYV between plants. A three-dimensional tomography study of cells infected by the two viruses demonstrated that the spherical virions of PPeVYV were distributed within ChiVMV pinwheel inclusion bodies. Overexpression of the ChiVMV cylindrical inclusion (CI) protein enhanced the titers of PPeVYV suggesting that the CI protein acts as a co-chaperone during PPeVYV infection.