<i>Maize fine streak virus</i> (MFSV) gene expression and protein interaction

<i>Maize fine streak virus</i> (MFSV) belongs to the family Rhabdoviridae, and is transmitted by the leafhopper <i>Graminella nigrifrons</i>. The MFSV genome is a 13,782 nucleotide, non-segmented, negative-sense RNA that encodes five core structural proteins: the nucleocapsid protein (N), the phosphoprotein (P), the polymerase (L), the matrix protein (M) and the glycoprotein (G) and two non-structural proteins, MFSV 3 and 4. The genes follow the order 3'-N-P-3-4-M-G-L-5’. Functions for the MFSV N, P, M, G, and L genes have been assigned based on sequence homologies to other Rhabdoviridae, but functions for the non-structural MFSV 3 and 4 genes remain unknown. To get insights of the relative importance of MFSV 3 and 4 in virus replication and systemic infection, we analyzed the accumulation of the MFSV 3 and 4 transcripts relative to the N transcripts in maize and <i>G. nigrifrons</i> using RT-qPCR assays. MFSV 3 transcripts accumulated at higher level than N transcripts in both plant and insect hosts, whereas MFSV 4 transcripts accumulated at similar levels than N transcripts in maize but at lower levels in <i>G. nigrifrons</i>. Our results indicate that the regulation of MFSV gene transcription is different from that of animal-infecting rhabdoviruses, for which transcript accumulation decreases sequentially from the 3’ to the 5’ end of the genome. To determine whether the MFSV 3 and 4 protein function requires interaction with other MFSV proteins (e.g., for virus movement in plants), a protein-protein interaction map was generated by means of yeast two-hybrid (YTH) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC). The MFSV 3 and 4 proteins strongly interacted with each other in both assays, suggesting that this interaction is likely to occur in nature. Based on the location of MFSV 4 in the genome, the size of the encoded protein and higher accumulation of transcripts in the plant compared to the insect host, MFSV 4 may be a movement protein, and its strong interaction with MFSV 3 may be important during infection of the plant host.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Plant Pathology

Grantor dc:publisher

The Ohio State University

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Cisneros Delgadillo, Fiorella Melina

Contributors dc:contributor

• Redinbaugh, Margaret
• Qu, Feng

• Virology
• Plant Pathology
• Molecular Biology
• Rhabdoviruses
• Rt-qPCR
• protein interaction
• viral vectors

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: some rights reserved. It is licensed for use under a Creative Commons license. Specific terms and permissions are available from this document's record in the OhioLINK ETD Center.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366204177

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1366204177