RNA silencing is an established method for investigating gene function and has attracted particular interest because of the potential for generating RNA-based therapeutics. Using lentiviral vectors as an efficient delivery system that offers stable, long-term expression in postmitotic cells further enhances the applicability of an RNA-based gene therapy for the CNS. In this review we provide an...

Viruses are obligate, intracellular pathogens that must manipulate and exploit host molecular mechanisms to prosper in the hostile cellular environment. Here we review the strategies used by viruses to evade the immunity controlled by 21- to 26-nt small RNAs. Viral suppressors of RNA silencing (VSRs) are encoded by genetically diverse viruses infecting plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates. VS...

Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV) is the type species of the newly established Poacevirus genus in the family Potyviridae. In this study, we demonstrate that in contrast to the helper component-proteinase (HC-Pro) of Potyvirus species, the P1 proteins of TriMV and Sugarcane streak mosaic poacevirus function in suppression of RNA silencing (SRS). TriMV P1 effectively suppressed silencing induced by ...

Viruses encode RNA silencing suppressors to counteract host antiviral silencing. In this study, we analyzed the suppressors encoded by potato virus M (PVM), a member of the genus Carlavirus. In the conventional green fluorescent protein transient coexpression assay, the cysteine-rich protein (CRP) of PVM inhibited both local and systemic silencing, whereas the triple gene block protein 1 (TGBp1...

RNA silencing is a potent mechanism of antiviral defense response in plants and other organisms. For counterdefense, viruses have evolved a variety of suppressors of RNA silencing (VSRs) that can inhibit distinct steps of a silencing pathway. We previously identified Pns10 encoded by Rice dwarf phytoreovirus (RDV) as a VSR, the first of its kind from double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) viruses. In this...

Plants respond to virus infections by activation of RNA-based silencing, which limits infection at both the single-cell and system levels. Viruses encode RNA silencing suppressor proteins that interfere with this response. Wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana is immune to silencing suppressor (HC-Pro)-deficient Turnip mosaic virus, but immunity was lost in the absence of DICER-LIKE proteins DCL4 and ...

Viral encoded RNA silencing suppressor proteins interfere with the host RNA silencing machinery, facilitating viral infection by evading host immunity. In plant hosts, the viral proteins have several basic science implications and biotechnology applications. However in silico identification of these proteins is limited by their high sequence diversity. In this study we developed supervised lear...

RNA silencing is a sequence-specific RNA degradation process that follows the recognition of double-stranded RNA. Here, we show that virus vectors carrying parts of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgene targeted RNA silencing in Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis against the entire GFP RNA. These results indicate that there was spreading of RNA targeting from the initiator region into ...