Poster: Education

Abs # 2: The systemic movement of a tobamovirus requires host cell pectin methylesterase

Presenter:	Chen, Min-Huei , min-huei.chen@sunysb.edu
Authors	Chen, Min-Huei  (A)   Citovsky, vitaly  (B) (A)
Affiliations:	(A): State University of New York at Stony Brook

Pectin methylesterase ( PME ) is one of the few cellular proteins known to interact with tobamoviral movement proteins ( MP ) that mediate intercellular transport of the virus. The biological significance of this interaction for viral movement is unknown. In a reverse genetics approach, PME levels were reduced in tobacco plants using antisense suppression. The resulting PME antisense plants displayed significant delays in the systemic movement of the virus, correlating with the degree of PME suppression in the vascular tissues of the antisense plants. Our analysis of these plants suggested that TMV systemic movement may be a polar process in which the virions enter and exit the vascular system by two different mechanisms and it is the viral exit out of the vascular system that involves PME.