AUTHOR=Kamel Radwa , Aman Rashid , Mahfouz Magdy M. 

TITLE=Viperin-like proteins interfere with RNA viruses in plants

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1385169

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2024.1385169

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Plant viruses cause substantial losses in crop yield and quality; therefore, devising new, robust strategies to counter viral infections has important implications for agriculture. Virus inhibitory protein endoplasmic reticulum-associated interferon-inducible (Viperin) proteins are conserved antiviral proteins. Here, we identified a set of Viperin and Viperin-like proteins from multiple species and tested whether they could interfere with RNA viruses <italic>in planta</italic>. Our data from transient and stable overexpression of these proteins in <italic>Nicotiana benthamiana</italic> reveal varying levels of interference against the RNA viruses tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), turnip mosaic virus (TuMV), and potato virus x (PVX). Harnessing the potential of these proteins represents a novel avenue in plant antiviral approaches, offering a broader and more effective spectrum for application in plant biotechnology and agriculture. Identifying these proteins opens new avenues for engineering a broad range of resistance to protect crop plants against viral pathogens.</p>