Viroid-induced RNA silencing of GFP-viroid fusion transgenes does not induce extensive spreading of methylation or transitive silencing

Viroids: Non-Coding Circular RNAs Able to Autonomously Replicate and Infect Higher Plants

Viroids are a unique type of infectious agent, exclusively composed of a relatively small (246-430 nt), highly base-paired, circular, non-coding RNA. Despite the small size and non-coding nature, the more-than-thirty currently known viroid species infectious of higher plants are able to autonomously replicate and move systemically through the host, thereby inducing disease in some plants. After recalling viroid discovery back in the late 60s and early 70s of last century and discussing current hypotheses about their evolutionary origin, this article reviews our current knowledge about these peculiar infectious agents. We describe the highly base-paired viroid molecules that fold in rod-like or branched structures and viroid taxonomic classification in two families, Pospiviroidae and Avsunviroidae, likely gathering nuclear and chloroplastic viroids, respectively. We review current knowledge about viroid replication through RNA-to-RNA rolling-circle mechanisms in which host factors, notably RNA transporters, RNA polymerases, RNases, and RNA ligases, are involved. Systemic movement through the infected plant, plant-to-plant transmission and host range are also discussed. Finally, we focus on the mechanisms of viroid pathogenesis, in which RNA silencing has acquired remarkable importance, and also for the initiation of potential biotechnological applications of viroid molecules.

Viroids as a Tool to Study RNA-Directed DNA Methylation in Plants

Viroids are plant pathogenic, circular, non-coding, single-stranded RNAs (ssRNAs). Members of the Pospiviroidae family replicate in the nucleus of plant cells through double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) intermediates, thus triggering the host’s RNA interference (RNAi) machinery. In plants, the two RNAi pillars are Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing (PTGS) and RNA-directed DNA Methylation (RdDM), and the latter has the potential to trigger Transcriptional Gene Silencing (TGS). Over the last three decades, the employment of viroid-based systems has immensely contributed to our understanding of both of these RNAi facets. In this review, we highlight the role of Pospiviroidae in the discovery of RdDM, expound the gradual elucidation through the years of the diverse array of RdDM’s mechanistic details and propose a revised RdDM model based on the cumulative amount of evidence from viroid and non-viroid systems.

Citrus exocortis viroid causes ribosomal stress in tomato plants

Viroids are naked RNAs that do not code for any known protein and yet are able to infect plants causing severe diseases. Because of their RNA nature, many studies have focused on the involvement of viroids in RNA-mediated gene silencing as being their pathogenesis mechanism. Here, the alterations caused by the Citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd) on the tomato translation machinery were studied as a new aspect of viroid pathogenesis. The presence of viroids in the ribosomal fractions of infected tomato plants was detected. More precisely, CEVd and its derived viroid small RNAs were found to co-sediment with tomato ribosomes in vivo, and to provoke changes in the global polysome profiles, particularly in the 40S ribosomal subunit accumulation. Additionally, the viroid caused alterations in ribosome biogenesis in the infected tomato plants, affecting the 18S rRNA maturation process. A higher expression level of the ribosomal stress mediator NAC082 was also detected in the CEVd-infected tomato leaves. Both the alterations in the rRNA processing and the induction of NAC082 correlate with the degree of viroid symptomatology. Taken together, these results suggest that CEVd is responsible for defective ribosome biogenesis in tomato, thereby interfering with the translation machinery and, therefore, causing ribosomal stress.

Current overview on viroid-host interactions

Viroids are one of the most enigmatic highly structured, circular, single-stranded RNA phytopathogens. Although they are not known to code for any peptide, viroids induce visible symptoms in susceptible host plants that resemble those associated with many plant viruses. It is known that viroids induce disease symptoms by direct interaction with host factors; however, the precise mechanism by which this occurs remains poorly understood. Studies on the host's responses to viroid infection, host susceptibility and nonhost resistance have been underway for several years, but much remains to be done in order to fully understand the complex nature of viroid-host interactions. Recent progress using molecular biology techniques combined with computational algorithms, in particular evidence of the role of viroid-derived small RNAs in the RNA silencing pathways of a disease network, has widened the knowledge of viroid pathogenicity. The complexity of viroid-host interactions has been revealed in the past decades to include, but not be limited to, the involvement of host factors, viroid structural complexity, and viroid-induced ribosomal stress, which is further boosted by the discovery of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). In this review, the current understanding of the viroid-host interaction has been summarized with the goal of simplifying the complexity of viroid biology for future research. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease.

Transient expression of intron-containing transgenes generates non-spliced aberrant pre-mRNAs that are processed into siRNAs

MAIN CONCLUSION

In this study, we show that aberrant pre-mRNAs from non-spliced and non-polyadenylated intron-containing transgenes are channelled to the RNA silencing pathway. In plants, improperly processed transcripts are called aberrant RNAs (ab-RNAs) and are eliminated by either RNA silencing or RNA decay mechanisms. Ab-RNAs transcribed from intronless genes are copied by RNA-directed RNA polymerases (RDRs) into double-stranded RNAs which are subsequently cleaved by DICER-LIKE endonucleases into small RNAs (sRNAs). In contrast, ab-RNAs from intron-containing genes are suggested to be channelled post-splicing to exonucleolytic degradation. Yet, it is not clear how non-spliced aberrant pre-mRNAs are eliminated. We reasoned that transient expression of agroinfiltrated intron-containing transgenes in Nicotiana benthamiana would allow us to study the steady-state levels of non-spliced pre-mRNAs. SRNA deep sequencing of the agroinfiltrated transgenes revealed the presence of sRNAs mapping to the entire non-spliced pre-mRNA suggesting that RDRs (most likely RDR6) processed aberrant non-spliced pre-mRNAs. Primary and secondary sRNAs with lengths of 18-25 nucleotides (nt) were detected, with the most prominent sRNA size class of 22 nt. SRNAs also mapped to the terminator sequence, indicating that RDR substrates also comprised read-through transcripts devoid of polyadenylation tail. Importantly, the occurring sRNAs efficiently targeted cognate mRNA for degradation but failed to cleave the non-spliced pre-mRNA, corroborating the notion that sRNAs are not triggering RNA cleavage in the nucleus.

A nuclear-replicating viroid antagonizes infectivity and accumulation of a geminivirus by upregulating methylation-related genes and inducing hypermethylation of viral DNA

DNA methylation and post-transcriptional gene silencing play critical roles in controlling infection of single-stranded (ss) DNA geminiviruses and ssRNA viroids, respectively, but both pathogens can counteract these host defense mechanisms and promote their infectivity. Moreover, a specific role of DNA methylation in viroid-host interactions is not yet confirmed. Here, using an experimental system where two nuclear-replicating agents, the geminivirus tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus (TYLCSV) and potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd), co-infect their common host tomato, we observed that PSTVd severely interferes with TYLCSV infectivity and accumulation, most likely as a consequence of strong activation of host DNA methylation pathways. In fact, PSTVd alone or in co-infection with TYLCSV significantly upregulates the expression of key genes governing DNA methylation in plants. Using methylation-sensitive restriction and bisulfite conversion assays, we further showed that PSTVd infection promotes a strong hypermethylation of TYLCSV DNA, thus supporting a mechanistic link with the antagonism of the viroid on the virus in co-infected tomato plants. These results describe the interaction between two nuclear-replicating pathogens and show that they differentially interfere with DNA methylation pathways.

Active Shiga-Like Toxin Produced by Some Aeromonas spp., Isolated in Mexico City

RNA silencing is a conserved mechanism that utilizes small RNAs (sRNAs) to direct the regulation of gene expression at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level. Plants utilizing RNA silencing machinery to defend pathogen infection was first identified in plant–virus interaction and later was observed in distinct plant–pathogen interactions. RNA silencing is not only responsible for suppressing RNA accumulation and movement of virus and viroid, but also facilitates plant immune responses against bacterial, oomycete, and fungal infection. Interestingly, even the same plant sRNA can perform different roles when encounters with different pathogens. On the other side, pathogens counteract by generating sRNAs that directly regulate pathogen gene expression to increase virulence or target host genes to facilitate pathogen infection. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of the characterization and biogenesis of host- and pathogen-derived sRNAs, as well as the different RNA silencing machineries that plants utilize to defend against different pathogens. The functions of these sRNAs in defense and counter-defense and their mechanisms for regulation during different plant–pathogen interactions are also discussed.

RNA-directed DNA methylation efficiency depends on trigger and target sequence identity

RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) in plants has been extensively studied, but the RNA molecules guiding the RdDM machinery to their targets are still to be characterized. It is unclear whether these molecules require full complementarity with their target. In this study, we have generated Nicotiana tabacum (Nt) plants carrying an infectious tomato apical stunt viroid (TASVd) transgene (Nt-TASVd) and a non-infectious potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) transgene (Nt-SB2). The two viroid sequences exhibit 81% sequence identity. Nt-TASVd and Nt-SB2 plants were genetically crossed. In the progeny plants (Nt-SB2/TASVd), deep sequencing of small RNAs (sRNAs) showed that TASVd infection was associated with the accumulation of abundant small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that mapped along the entire TASVd but only partially matched the SB2 transgene. TASVd siRNAs efficiently targeted SB2 RNA for degradation, but no transitivity was detectable. Bisulfite sequencing in the Nt-SB2/TASVd plants revealed that the TASVd transgene was targeted for dense cis-RdDM along its entire sequence. In the same plants, the SB2 transgene was targeted for trans-RdDM. The SB2 methylation pattern, however, was weak and heterogeneous, pointing to a positive correlation between trigger-target sequence identity and RdDM efficiency. Importantly, trans-RdDM on SB2 was also detected at sites where no homologous siRNAs were detected. Our data indicate that RdDM efficiency depends on the trigger-target sequence identity, and is not restricted to siRNA occupancy. These findings support recent data suggesting that RNAs with sizes longer than 24 nt (>24-nt RNAs) trigger RdDM.

Pathogenesis by subviral agents: viroids and hepatitis delta virus

The viroids of plants are the simplest known infectious genetic elements. They have RNA genomes of up to 400 nucleotides in length and no protein encoding capacity. Hepatitis delta virus (HDV), an infectious agent found only in humans co-infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), is just slightly more complex, with an RNA genome of about 1700 nucleotides, and the ability to express just one small protein. Viroid and HDV RNAs share several features that include circular structure, compact folding, and replication via a rolling-circle mechanism. Both agents were detected because of their obvious pathogenic effects. Their simplicity demands a greater need than conventional RNA or DNA viruses to redirect host components for facilitating their infectious cycle, a need that directly and indirectly incites pathogenic effects. The mechanisms by which these pathogenic effects are produced are the topic of this review. In this context, RNA silencing mediates certain aspects of viroid pathogenesis.

Functional Analysis of Cotton Leaf Curl Kokhran Virus/Cotton Leaf Curl Multan Betasatellite RNA Silencing Suppressors

In South Asia, Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is caused by a complex of phylogenetically-related begomovirus species and a specific betasatellite, Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMuB). The post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) suppression activities of the transcriptional activator protein (TrAP), C4, V2 and βC1 proteins encoded by Cotton leaf curl Kokhran virus (CLCuKoV)/CLCuMuB were assessed in Nicotiana benthamiana. A variable degree of local silencing suppression was observed for each viral protein tested, with V2 protein exhibiting the strongest suppression activity and only the C4 protein preventing the spread of systemic silencing. The CLCuKoV-encoded TrAP, C4, V2 and CLCuMuB-encoded βC1 proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. TrAP was shown to bind various small and long nucleic acids including single-stranded (ss) and double-stranded (ds) RNA and DNA molecules. C4, V2, and βC1 bound ssDNA and dsDNA with varying affinities. Transgenic expression of C4 under the constitutive 35S Cauliflower mosaic virus promoter and βC1 under a dexamethasone inducible promoter induced severe developmental abnormalities in N. benthamiana. The results indicate that homologous proteins from even quite closely related begomoviruses may differ in their suppressor activity and mechanism of action. The significance of these findings is discussed.

Viroids, infectious long non-coding RNAs with autonomous replication

Transcriptome deep-sequencing studies performed during the last years confirmed that the vast majority of the RNAs transcribed in higher organisms correspond to several types of non-coding RNAs including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). The study of lncRNAs and the identification of their functions, is still an emerging field in plants but the characterization of some of them indicate that they play an important role in crucial regulatory processes like flowering regulation, and responses to abiotic stress and plant hormones. A second group of lncRNAs present in plants is formed by viroids, exogenous infectious subviral plant pathogens well known since many years. Viroids are composed of circular RNA genomes without protein-coding capacity and subvert enzymatic activities of their hosts to complete its own biological cycle. Different aspects of viroid biology and viroid-host interactions have been elucidated in the last years and some of them are the main topic of this review together with the analysis of the state-of-the-art about the growing field of endogenous lncRNAs in plants.

Viroid-induced DNA methylation in plants

In eukaryotes, DNA methylation refers to the addition of a methyl group to the fifth atom in the six-atom ring of cytosine residues. At least in plants, DNA regions that become de novo methylated can be defined by homologous RNA molecules in a process termed RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). RdDM was first discovered in viroid-infected plants. Viroids are pathogenic circular, non-coding, single-stranded RNA molecules. Members of the Pospiviroidae family replicate in the nucleus through double-stranded RNA intermediates, attracting the host RNA silencing machinery. The recruitment of this machinery results in the production of viroid-derived small RNAs (vd-sRNAs) that mediate RNA degradation and DNA methylation of cognate sequences. Here, we provide an overview of the cumulative data on the field of viroid-induced RdDM and discuss three possible scenarios concerning the mechanistic details of its establishment.

Viroids, the simplest RNA replicons: How they manipulate their hosts for being propagated and how their hosts react for containing the infection

The discovery of viroids about 45 years ago heralded a revolution in Biology: small RNAs comprising around 350 nt were found to be able to replicate autonomously-and to incite diseases in certain plants-without encoding proteins, fundamental properties discriminating these infectious agents from viruses. The initial focus on the pathological effects usually accompanying infection by viroids soon shifted to their molecular features-they are circular molecules that fold upon themselves adopting compact secondary conformations-and then to how they manipulate their hosts to be propagated. Replication of viroids-in the nucleus or chloroplasts through a rolling-circle mechanism involving polymerization, cleavage and circularization of RNA strands-dealt three surprises: (i) certain RNA polymerases are redirected to accept RNA instead of their DNA templates, (ii) cleavage in chloroplastic viroids is not mediated by host enzymes but by hammerhead ribozymes, and (iii) circularization in nuclear viroids is catalyzed by a DNA ligase redirected to act upon RNA substrates. These enzymes (and ribozymes) are most probably assisted by host proteins, including transcription factors and RNA chaperones. Movement of viroids, first intracellularly and then to adjacent cells and distal plant parts, has turned out to be a tightly regulated process in which specific RNA structural motifs play a crucial role. More recently, the advent of RNA silencing has brought new views on how viroids may cause disease and on how their hosts react to contain the infection; additionally, viroid infection may be restricted by other mechanisms. Representing the lowest step on the biological size scale, viroids have also attracted considerable interest to get a tentative picture of the essential characteristics of the primitive replicons that populated the postulated RNA world.

Virus-associated small satellite RNAs and viroids display similarities in their replication strategies

Since the discovery of non-coding, small, highly structured, satellite RNAs (satRNAs) and viroids as subviral pathogens of plants , have been of great interest to molecular biologists as possible living fossils of pre-cellular evolution in an RNA world. Despite extensive studies performed in the last four decades, there is still mystery surrounding the origin and evolutionary relationship between these subviral pathogens. Recent technical advances revealed some commonly shared replication features between these two subviral pathogens. In this review, we discuss our current perception of replication and evolutionary origin of these petite RNA pathogens.

Engineering viroid resistance

Viroids are non-encapsidated, non-coding, circular, single-stranded RNAs (ssRNAs). They are classified into the families Pospiviroidae and Avsunviroidae, whose members replicate in the nucleus and chloroplast of plant cells, respectively. Viroids have a wide host range, including crop and ornamental plants, and can cause devastating diseases with significant economic losses. Thus, several viroids are world-wide, classified as quarantine pathogens and, hence, there is an urgent need for the development of robust antiviroid strategies. RNA silencing-based technologies seem to be a promising tool in this direction. Here, we review the recent advances concerning the complex interaction of viroids with the host's RNA silencing machinery, evaluate past and present antiviroid approaches, and finally suggest alternative strategies that could potentially be employed in the future in order to achieve transgenic and non-transgenic viroid-free plants.

Replicating Potato spindle tuber viroid mediates de novo methylation of an intronic viroid sequence but no cleavage of the corresponding pre-mRNA

In plants, Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) replication triggers post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) and RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) of homologous RNA and DNA sequences, respectively. PTGS predominantly occurs in the cytoplasm, but nuclear PTGS has been also reported. In this study, we investigated whether the nuclear replicating PSTVd is able to trigger nuclear PTGS. Transgenic tobacco plants carrying cytoplasmic and nuclear PTGS sensor constructs were PSTVd-infected resulting in the generation of abundant PSTVd-derived small interfering RNAs (vd-siRNAs). Northern blot analysis revealed that, in contrast to the cytoplasmic sensor, the nuclear sensor transcript was not targeted for RNA degradation. Bisulfite sequencing analysis showed that the nuclear PTGS sensor transgene was efficiently targeted for RdDM. Our data suggest that PSTVd fails to trigger nuclear PTGS, and that RdDM and nuclear PTGS are not necessarily coupled.

Specific argonautes selectively bind small RNAs derived from potato spindle tuber viroid and attenuate viroid accumulation in vivo

The identification of viroid-derived small RNAs (vd-sRNAs) of 21 to 24 nucleotides (nt) in plants infected by viroids (infectious non-protein-coding RNAs of just 250 to 400 nt) supports their targeting by Dicer-like enzymes, the first host RNA-silencing barrier. However, whether viroids, like RNA viruses, are also targeted by the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) remains controversial. At the RISC core is one Argonaute (AGO) protein that, guided by endogenous or viral sRNAs, targets complementary RNAs. To examine whether AGO proteins also load vd-sRNAs, leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana infected by potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) were agroinfiltrated with plasmids expressing epitope-tagged versions of AGO1, AGO2, AGO3, AGO4, AGO5, AGO6, AGO7, AGO9, and AGO10 from Arabidopsis thaliana. Immunoprecipitation analyses of the agroinfiltrated halos revealed that all AGOs except AGO6, AGO7, and AGO10 associated with vd-sRNAs: AGO1, AGO2, and AGO3 preferentially with those of 21 and 22 nt, while AGO4, AGO5, and AGO9 additionally bound those of 24 nt. Deep-sequencing analyses showed that sorting of vd-sRNAs into AGO1, AGO2, AGO4, and AGO5 depended essentially on their 5'-terminal nucleotides, with the profiles of the corresponding AGO-loaded vd-sRNAs adopting specific hot spot distributions along the viroid genome. Furthermore, agroexpression of AGO1, AGO2, AGO4, and AGO5 on PSTVd-infected tissue attenuated the level of the genomic RNAs, suggesting that they, or their precursors, are RISC targeted. In contrast to RNA viruses, PSTVd infection of N. benthamiana did not affect miR168-mediated regulation of the endogenous AGO1, which loaded vd-sRNAs with specificity similar to that of its A. thaliana counterpart. Importance: To contain invaders, particularly RNA viruses, plants have evolved an RNA-silencing mechanism relying on the generation by Dicer-like (DCL) enzymes of virus-derived small RNAs of 21 to 24 nucleotides (nt) that load and guide Argonaute (AGO) proteins to target and repress viral RNA. Viroids, despite their minimal genomes (non-protein-coding RNAs of only 250 to 400 nt), infect and incite disease in plants. The accumulation in these plants of 21- to 24-nt viroid-derived small RNAs (vd-sRNAs) supports the notion that DCLs also target viroids but does not clarify whether vd-sRNAs activate one or more AGOs. Here, we show that in leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana infected by potato spindle tuber viroid, the endogenous AGO1 and distinct AGOs from Arabidopsis thaliana that were overexpressed were associated with vd-sRNAs displaying the same properties (5'-terminal nucleotide and size) previously established for endogenous and viral small RNAs. Overexpression of AGO1, AGO2, AGO4, and AGO5 attenuated viroid accumulation, supporting their role in antiviroid defense.

An endogene-resembling transgene delays the onset of silencing and limits siRNA accumulation

In plants, transgenes are generally more sensitive against RNA silencing than endogenes are. In this study, we generated a transgene that structurally mimicks an endogene. It is composed of endogenous promoter, 5'-UTR, introns, 3'-UTR and terminator elements. Our data revealed that, in contrast to a conventional transgene, an endogene-resembling transgene was more stably expressed and poorly processed into small RNAs. In addition, although both constructs triggered methylation of homologous DNA sequences at similar levels, the endogene-resembling transgene exhibited significantly delayed onset of local and systemic silencing.

Transgenerational maintenance of transgene body CG but not CHG and CHH methylation

In plants, RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) can target both transgene promoters and coding regions/gene bodies. RdDM leads to methylation of cytosines in all sequence contexts: CG, CHG and CHH. Upon segregation of the RdDM trigger, at least CG methylation can be maintained at promoter regions in the progeny. So far, it is not clear whether coding region methylation can be also maintained. We showed that the body of Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) transgene constructs became densely de novo methylated at CG, CHG and CHH sites upon PSTVd infection. In this study, we demonstrate that in viroid-free progeny plants, asymmetric CHH and CHG methylation was completely lost. However, symmetric CG methylation was stably maintained for at least two generations. Importantly, the presence of transgene body methylation did not lead to an increase of dimethylation of histone H3 lysine 9 or a decrease of acetylation of H3. Our data supports the view that CG methylation can be maintained not only in promoters but also in the body of transgenes. They further suggest that maintenance of methylation may occur independently of tested chromatin modifications.

Small RNAs containing the pathogenic determinant of a chloroplast-replicating viroid guide the degradation of a host mRNA as predicted by RNA silencing

How viroids, tiny non-protein-coding RNAs (~250-400 nt), incite disease is unclear. One hypothesis is that viroid-derived small RNAs (vd-sRNAs; 21-24 nt) resulting from the host defensive response, via RNA silencing, may target for cleavage cell mRNAs and trigger a signal cascade, eventually leading to symptoms. Peach latent mosaic viroid (PLMVd), a chloroplast-replicating viroid, is particularly appropriate to tackle this question because it induces an albinism (peach calico, PC) strictly associated with variants containing a specific 12-14-nt hairpin insertion. By dissecting albino and green leaf sectors of Prunus persica (peach) seedlings inoculated with PLMVd natural and artificial variants, and cloning their progeny, we have established that the hairpin insertion sequence is involved in PC. Furthermore, using deep sequencing, semi-quantitative RT-PCR and RNA ligase-mediated rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), we have determined that two PLMVd-sRNAs containing the PC-associated insertion (PC-sRNA8a and PC-sRNA8b) target for cleavage the mRNA encoding the chloroplastic heat-shock protein 90 (cHSP90), thus implicating RNA silencing in the modulation of host gene expression by a viroid. Chloroplast malformations previously reported in PC-expressing tissues are consistent with the downregulation of cHSP90, which participates in chloroplast biogenesis and plastid-to-nucleus signal transduction in Arabidopsis. Besides PC-sRNA8a and PC-sRNA8b, both deriving from the less-abundant PLMVd (-) strand, we have identified other PLMVd-sRNAs potentially targeting peach mRNAs. These results also suggest that sRNAs derived from other PLMVd regions may downregulate additional peach genes, ultimately resulting in other symptoms or in a more favorable host environment for viroid infection.

Viroids: how to infect a host and cause disease without encoding proteins

Despite being composed by a single-stranded, circular, non-protein-coding RNA of just 246-401 nucleotides (nt), viroids can incite in their host plants symptoms similar to those caused by DNA and RNA viruses, which have genomes at least 20-fold bigger and encode proteins. On the other hand, certain non-protein-coding plant satellite RNAs display structural similarities with viroids but for replication and transmission they need to parasitize specific helper viruses (modifying concomitantly the symptoms they induce). While phenotypic alterations accompanying infection by viruses may partly result from expressing the proteins they code for, how the non-protein-coding viroids (and satellite RNAs) cause disease remains a conundrum. Initial ideas on viroid pathogenesis focused on a direct interaction of the genomic RNA with host proteins resulting in their malfunction. With the advent of RNA silencing, it was alternatively proposed that symptoms could be produced by viroid-derived small RNAs (vd-sRNAs) -generated by the host defensive machinery- targeting specific host mRNA or DNA sequences for post-transcriptional or transcriptional gene silencing, respectively, a hypothesis that could also explain pathogenesis of non-protein-coding satellite RNAs. Evidence sustaining this view has been circumstantial, but recent data provide support for it in two cases: i) the yellow symptoms associated with a specific satellite RNA result from a 22-nt small RNA (derived from the 24-nt fragment of the satellite genome harboring the pathogenic determinant), which is complementary to a segment of the mRNA of the chlorophyll biosynthetic gene CHLI and targets it for cleavage by the RNA silencing machinery, and ii) two 21-nt vd-sRNAS containing the pathogenic determinant of the albino phenotype induced by a chloroplast-replicating viroid target for cleavage the mRNA coding for the chloroplastic heat-shock protein 90 via RNA silencing too. This evidence, which is compelling for the satellite RNA, does not exclude alternative mechanisms.

Diverse spontaneous silencing of a transgene among two Nicotiana species

In plants, transgenes frequently become spontaneously silenced for unknown reasons. Typically, transgene silencing involves the generation of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that directly or indirectly target cognate DNA and mRNA sequences for methylation and degradation, respectively. In this report, we compared spontaneous silencing of a transgene in Nicotiana benthamiana and Nicotiana tabacum. In both species, abundant siRNAs were produced. In N. benthamiana, the self-silencing process involved mRNA degradation and dense DNA methylation of the homologous coding region. In N. tabacum, self-silencing occurred without complete mRNA degradation and with low methylation of the cognate coding region. Our data indicated that in plants, siRNA-mediated spontaneous silencing is, in addition to mRNA degradation, based on translational inhibition. Differences in the initiation and establishment of self-silencing together with marked differences in the degree of de novo DNA methylation showed that the mechanistic details of RNA silencing, although largely conserved, may vary also in genetically close plant species.

Introns reduce transitivity proportionally to their length, suggesting that silencing spreads along the pre-mRNA

Endogenes rarely support transitive silencing, whereas most transgenes generally allow the spread of silencing to occur along the primary target. To determine whether the presence of introns might explain the difference, we investigated the influence of introns in the primary target on 3'–5' silencing transitivity. When present in a transgene, an intron-containing endogene fragment does not prohibit the spread of silencing across this fragment, indicating that introns do not preclude silencing transitivity along endogenes. Also, a multiple intron-containing genomic gene fragment that had previously been shown not to support transitivity in an endogenous context could support transitivity when present in a transgene. Nevertheless, genomic intron-containing fragments delayed the onset and diminished the efficiency of transitive silencing of a secondary target compared with the corresponding cDNA fragments. Remarkably, transitivity was impaired proportionally with the length of the pre-mRNA, and not of the mRNA. The latter result suggests that the RNA dependent RNA polymerase-based spreading of silencing progresses along the non-spliced rather than the fully processed mature mRNA.

A chimeric satellite transgene sequence is inefficiently targeted by viroid-induced DNA methylation in tobacco

In plants, transgenes containing Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) cDNA sequences were efficient targets of PSTVd infection-mediated RNA-directed DNA methylation. Here, we demonstrate that in PSTVd-infected tobacco plants, a 134 bp PSTVd fragment (PSTVd-134) did not become densely methylated when it was inserted into a chimeric Satellite tobacco mosaic virus (STMV) construct. Only about 4-5% of all cytosines (Cs) of the PSTVd-134 were methylated when flanked by satellite sequences. In the same plants, C methylation was approximately 92% when the PSTVd-134 was in a PSTVd full length sequence context and roughly 33% when flanked at its 3' end by a 19 bp PSTVd and at its 5' end by a short viroid-unrelated sequence. In addition, PSTVd small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) produced from the replicating viroid failed to target PSTVd-134-containing chimeric STMV RNA for degradation. Satellite RNAs appear to have adopted secondary structures that protect them against RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated degradation. Protection can be extended to short non-satellite sequences residing in satellite RNAs, rendering them poor targets for nuclear and cytoplasmic RNAi induced in trans.

High-throughput sequencing of Hop stunt viroid-derived small RNAs from cucumber leaves and phloem

Small RNA (sRNA)-guided processes, referred to as RNA silencing, regulate endogenous and exogenous gene expression. In plants and some animals, these processes are noncell autonomous and can operate beyond the site of initiation. Viroids, the smallest self-replicating plant pathogens known, are inducers, targets and evaders of this regulatory mechanism and, consequently, the presence of viroid-derived sRNAs (vd-sRNAs) is usually associated with viroid infection. However, the pathways involved in the biogenesis of vd-sRNAs are largely unknown. Here, we analyse, by high-throughput pyrosequencing, the profiling of the Hop stunt viroid (HSVd) vd-sRNAs recovered from the leaves and phloem of infected cucumber (Cucumis sativus) plants. HSVd vd-sRNAs are mostly 21 and 22 nucleotides in length and derived equally from plus and minus HSVd RNA strands. The widespread distribution of vd-sRNAs across the genome reveals that the totality of the HSVd RNA genome contributes to the formation of vd-sRNAs. Our sequence data suggest that viroid-derived double-stranded RNA functions as one of the main precursors of vd-sRNAs. Remarkably, phloem vd-sRNAs accumulated preferentially as 22-nucleotide species with a consensus sequence over-represented. This bias in size and sequence in the HSVd vd-sRNA population recovered from phloem exudate suggests the existence of a selective trafficking of vd-sRNAs to the phloem tissue of infected cucumber plants.

Analysis of an autoproteolytic activity of rice yellow mottle virus silencing suppressor P1

Ectopically expressed rice yellow mottle virus P1 fusion proteins were found to be cleaved in planta and in Escherichia coli. Cleavage takes place in the absence of bacterial protease activity, indicating that the P1 fusion is autocatalytically processed independently of host factors. N-terminal sequencing of the C-terminal cleavage product of transiently expressed P1/GFP (green fluorescence protein) in Nicotiana benthamiana showed that the cleavage site is located between the first two amino acids (aa) downstream of the P1 sequence. Mutagenesis experiments revealed that a phenylalanine to valine substitution at position 157 of the P1 aa sequence impairs proper cleavage, which is nearly unaffected by replacement of phenylalanine with tyrosine. Deletion of methionine(159) (first GFP aa residue) appeared to not affect P1/GFP cleavage. N-terminal P1-tagging with GFP turned out to impair autocleavage, whereas a small His-tag could not fully prevent cleavage. Additionally, a modified P1/GFP carrying an N-terminal deletion of 81 aa was not cleaved. These findings indicate that this region is involved in the proteolysis mechanism and that large N-terminal fusion partners might affect correct folding of the P1 necessary for self-catalysis.

A hairpin RNA construct residing in an intron efficiently triggered RNA-directed DNA methylation in tobacco

So far, conventional hairpin RNA (hpRNA) constructs consisting of an inverted repeat (IR) of target promoters directly introduced into an expression cassette have been used to mediate de novo DNA methylation. Transcripts of such constructs resemble mRNA molecules, and are likely to be exported to the cytoplasm. The presence of hpRNAs in the cytoplasm and the nucleus may account for the simultaneous activation of post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) and RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). We hypothesized that by retaining hpRNAs in the nucleus, efficient induction of only RdDM may be achieved. Thus, we introduced into tobacco a transgene containing an intron into which an IR of a target promoter was inserted. The intronic hpRNA initiated highly specific cis- and trans-methylation, but did not induce PTGS. No spreading of methylation into sequences flanking the region of homology between the hpRNA and the target DNA was detectable. The efficient methylation-directing activity of the intronic hpRNA may indicate a previously unrecognized role of introns, potentially regulating gene expression at the transcriptional level.

Evolutionary constraints to viroid evolution

We suggest that viroids are trapped into adaptive peaks as the result of adaptive constraints. The first one is imposed by the necessity to fold into packed structures to escape from RNA silencing. This creates antagonistic epistases, which make future adaptive trajectories contingent upon the first mutation and slow down the rate of adaptation. This second constraint can only be surpassed by increasing genetic redundancy or by recombination. Eigen's paradox imposes a limit to the increase in genome complexity in the absence of mechanisms reducing mutation rate. Therefore, recombination appears as the only possible route to evolutionary innovation in viroids.

Viroid pathogenicity: one process, many faces

Despite the non-coding nature of their small RNA genomes, the visible symptoms of viroid infection resemble those associated with many plant virus diseases. Recent evidence indicates that viroid-derived small RNAs acting through host RNA silencing pathways play a key role in viroid pathogenicity. Host responses to viroid infection are complex, involving signaling cascades containing host-encoded protein kinases and crosstalk between hormonal and defense-signaling pathways. Studies of viroid-host interaction in the context of entire biochemical or developmental pathways are just beginning, and many working hypotheses have yet to be critically tested.

RNAi-mediated resistance to Potato spindle tuber viroid in transgenic tomato expressing a viroid hairpin RNA construct

Because of their highly ordered structure, mature viroid RNA molecules are assumed to be resistant to degradation by RNA interference (RNAi). In this article, we report that transgenic tomato plants expressing a hairpin RNA (hpRNA) construct derived from Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) sequences exhibit resistance to PSTVd infection. Resistance seems to be correlated with high-level accumulation of hpRNA-derived short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in the plant. Thus, although small RNAs produced by infecting viroids [small RNAs of PSTVd (srPSTVds)] do not silence viroid RNAs efficiently to prevent their replication, hpRNA-derived siRNAs (hp-siRNAs) appear to effectively target the mature viroid RNA. Genomic mapping of the hp-siRNAs revealed an unequal distribution of 21- and 24-nucleotide siRNAs of both (+)- and (-)-strand polarities along the PSTVd genome. These data suggest that RNAi can be employed to engineer plants for viroid resistance, as has been well established for viruses.

Interplay between viroid-induced pathogenesis and RNA silencing pathways

Of all known plant pathogens, viroids have the lowest biological complexity. Their genome consists of a naked RNA without protein-encoding capacity. However, viroids contain sufficient genetic information to establish infection in susceptible hosts. The process by which this tiny RNA subverts the plant cell machinery by coercing the host to express symptoms of viroid infection is the 'Holy Grail' that has been searched for since the first viroid-induced disease was described. Recently, a large body of evidence has led to the emergent view that RNA silencing has a crucial role in viroid pathogenesis and evolution. Here, we chronologically analyse the relevant findings supporting this idea and propose a model to explain the possible interrelation between the trans-acting small interfering RNA (ta-siRNA) biogenesis pathway and viroid replication and pathogenesis.

The biology of viroid-host interactions

Viroids are single-stranded, circular, and noncoding RNAs that infect plants. They replicate in the nucleus or chloroplast and then traffic cell-to-cell through plasmodesmata and long distance through the phloem to establish systemic infection. They also cause diseases in certain hosts. All functions are mediated directly by the viroid RNA genome or genome-derived RNAs. I summarize recent advances in the understanding of viroid structures and cellular factors enabling these functions, emphasizing conceptual developments, major knowledge gaps, and future directions. Newly emerging experimental systems and research tools are discussed that are expected to enable significant progress in a number of key areas. I highlight examples of groundbreaking contributions of viroid research to the development of new biological principles and offer perspectives on using viroid models to continue advancing some frontiers of life science.

A stepwise pathway for biogenesis of 24-nt secondary siRNAs and spreading of DNA methylation

We used a transgene system to study spreading of RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) during transcriptional gene silencing in Arabidopsis thaliana. Forward and reverse genetics approaches using this system delineated a stepwise pathway for the biogenesis of secondary siRNAs and unidirectional spreading of methylation from an upstream enhancer element into downstream sequences. Trans-acting, hairpin-derived primary siRNAs induce primary RdDM, independently of an enhancer-associated 'nascent' RNA, at the target enhancer region. Primary RdDM is a key step in the pathway because it attracts the secondary siRNA-generating machinery, including RNA polymerase IV, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase2 and Dicer-like3 (DCL3). These factors act in a turnover pathway involving a nascent RNA, which normally accumulates stably in non-silenced plants, to produce cis-acting secondary siRNAs that induce methylation in the downstream region. The identification of DCL3 in a forward genetic screen for silencing-defective mutants demonstrated a strict requirement for 24-nt siRNAs to direct methylation. A similar stepwise process for spreading of DNA methylation may occur in mammalian genomes, which are extensively transcribed in upstream regulatory regions.

Synthesis of complementary RNA by RNA-dependent RNA polymerases in plant extracts is independent of an RNA primer

RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDR) activities were readily detected in extracts from cauliflower and broccoli florets, Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh callus tissue and broccoli nuclei. The synthesis of complementary RNA (cRNA) was independent of a RNA primer, whether or not the primer contained a 3' terminal 2'-O-methyl group or was phosphorylated at the 5' terminus. cRNA synthesis in plant extracts was not affected by loss-of-function mutations in the DICER-LIKE (DCL) proteins DCL2, DCL3, and DCL4, indicating that RDRs function independently of these DCL proteins. A loss-of-function mutation in RDR1, RDR2 or RDR6 did not significantly reduce the amount of cRNA synthesis. This indicates that these RDRs did not account for the bulk RDR activities in plant extracts, and suggest that either the individual RDRs each contribute a fraction of polymerase activity or another RDR(s) is predominant in the plant extract.

Viroid-induced symptoms in Nicotiana benthamiana plants are dependent on RDR6 activity

Viroids are small self-replicating RNAs that infect plants. How these noncoding pathogenic RNAs interact with hosts to induce disease symptoms is a long-standing unanswered question. Recent experimental data have led to the suggestive proposal of a pathogenic model based on the RNA silencing mechanism. However, evidence of a direct relation between key components of the RNA silencing pathway and symptom expression in infected plants remains elusive. To address this issue, we used a symptomatic transgenic line of Nicotiana benthamiana that expresses and processes dimeric forms of Hop stunt viroid (HSVd). These plants were analyzed under different growing temperature conditions and were used as stocks in grafting assays with the rdr6i-Nb line, in which the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 6 (RDR6) is constitutively silenced. Here, we show that the symptom expression in N. benthamiana plants is independent of HSVd accumulation levels but dependent on an active state of the viroid-specific RNA silencing pathway. The scion of rdr6i-Nb plants remained asymptomatic when grafted onto symptomatic plants, despite an accumulation of a high level of mature forms of HSVd, indicating the requirement of RDR6 for viroid-induced symptom production. In addition, the RDR6 requirement for symptom expression was also observed in wild-type N. benthamiana plants mechanically infected with HSVd. These results provide biological evidence of the involvement of the viroid-specific RNA silencing pathway in the symptom expression associated with viroid pathogenesis.

Transgene-induced silencing of Arabidopsis phytochrome A gene via exonic methylation

Transgene-induced promoter or enhancer methylation clearly retards gene activity. While exonic methylation of genes is frequently observed in the RNAi process, only sporadic evidence has demonstrated its definitive role in gene suppression. Here, we report the isolation of a transcriptionally suppressed epi-allele of the Arabidopsis thaliana phytochrome A gene (PHYA) termed phyA' that shows methylation only in symmetric CG sites resident in exonic regions. These exonic modifications confer a strong phyA mutant phenotype, characterized by elongated hypocotyls in seedlings grown under continuous far-red light. De-methylation of phyA' in the DNA methyl transferase I (met1) mutant background increased PHYA expression and restored the wild-type phenotype, confirming the pivotal role of exonic CG methylation in maintaining the altered epigenetic state. PHYA epimutation was apparently induced by a transgene locus; however, it is stably maintained following segregation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed association with dimethyl histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9me2), a heterochromatic marker, within the phyA' coding region. Therefore, transgene-induced exonic methylation can lead to chromatin alteration that affects gene expression, most likely through reduction in the transcription rate.

Mature monomeric forms of Hop stunt viroid resist RNA silencing in transgenic plants

Viroids, small non-coding pathogenic RNAs, are able to induce RNA silencing, a phenomenon that has been associated with the pathogenesis and evolution of these small RNAs. It has been recently suggested that viroids may resist this plant defense mechanism. However, the simultaneous degradation of non-replicating full-length viroid RNA, and the resistance of mature forms of viroids to RNA silencing, have not been experimentally demonstrated. Transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants expressing a dimeric form of Hop stunt viroid (HSVd) that have the capability to cleave and circularize this viroid RNA were used to address this question. A reporter construct, consisting of a full-length HSVd RNA fused to GFP-mRNA, was agroinfiltrated in these plants and its expression was suppressed. Interestingly, both circular and linear HSVd molecules were stable and able to traffic through grafts in these restrictive conditions, indicating that the mature forms of HSVd are able, in some way, to resist the RNA-silencing mechanism. The observation that a full-length HSVd RNA fused to GFP-mRNA, but not circular and/or linear viroid forms, was fully susceptible to RNA degradation strongly suggests that structures adopted by the free mature monomer protect the pathogenesis-associated forms of the viroid from RNA silencing.

A structured viroid RNA serves as a substrate for dicer-like cleavage to produce biologically active small RNAs but is resistant to RNA-induced silencing complex-mediated degradation

RNA silencing is a potent means of antiviral defense in plants and animals. A hallmark of this defense response is the production of 21- to 24-nucleotide viral small RNAs via mechanisms that remain to be fully understood. Many viruses encode suppressors of RNA silencing, and some viral RNAs function directly as silencing suppressors as counterdefense. The occurrence of viroid-specific small RNAs in infected plants suggests that viroids can trigger RNA silencing in a host, raising the question of how these noncoding and unencapsidated RNAs survive cellular RNA-silencing systems. We address this question by characterizing the production of small RNAs of Potato spindle tuber viroid (srPSTVds) and investigating how PSTVd responds to RNA silencing. Our molecular and biochemical studies provide evidence that srPSTVds were derived mostly from the secondary structure of viroid RNAs. Replication of PSTVd was resistant to RNA silencing, although the srPSTVds were biologically active in guiding RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC)-mediated cleavage, as shown with a sensor system. Further analyses showed that without possessing or triggering silencing suppressor activities, the PSTVd secondary structure played a critical role in resistance to RISC-mediated cleavage. These findings support the hypothesis that some infectious RNAs may have evolved specific secondary structures as an effective means to evade RNA silencing in addition to encoding silencing suppressor activities. Our results should have important implications in further studies on RNA-based mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions and the biological constraints that shape the evolution of infectious RNA structures.

Viroids: an Ariadne's thread into the RNA labyrinth

Viroids are structurally, functionally and evolutionarily different from viruses. Despite their small, non-protein-encoding, single-stranded circular RNA genome, viroids can infect higher plants and cause certain diseases. Members of the two viroid families, Pospiviroidae and Avsunviroidae, have evolved to usurp the transcriptional machinery of their host nuclei and chloroplasts, respectively, in which replication proceeds through a rolling-circle mechanism involving RNA polymerization, cleavage and ligation. Remarkably, viroids subvert certain DNA-dependent RNA polymerases to transcribe RNA templates, and, in the family Avsunviroidae, post-transcriptional cleavage is catalysed by hammerhead ribozymes. Viroids are models for studying RNA evolution and for analysing RNA transport in plants, because they can move intracellularly, intercellularly through plasmodesmata and to distal parts of the plant through the vascular system. Viroids elicit RNA-silencing phenomena, which might mediate some of their biological properties, including pathogenesis. As some viroids behave as catalytic RNAs, they are regarded as remnants of the RNA world.

DNA Methylation in Plants

DNA in plants is highly methylated, containing 5-methylcytosine (m5C) and N6-methyladenine (m6A); m5C is located mainly in symmetrical CG and CNG sequences but it may occur also in other non-symmetrical contexts. m6A but not m5C was found in plant mitochondrial DNA. DNA methylation in plants is species-, tissue-, organelle- and age-specific. It is controlled by phytohormones and changes on seed germination, flowering and under the influence of various pathogens (viral, bacterial, fungal). DNA methylation controls plant growth and development, with particular involvement in regulation of gene expression and DNA replication. DNA replication is accompanied by the appearance of under-methylated, newly formed DNA strands including Okazaki fragments; asymmetry of strand DNA methylation disappears until the end of the cell cycle. A model for regulation of DNA replication by methylation is suggested. Cytosine DNA methylation in plants is more rich and diverse compared with animals. It is carried out by the families of specific enzymes that belong to at least three classes of DNA methyltransferases. Open reading frames (ORF) for adenine DNA methyltransferases are found in plant and animal genomes, and a first eukaryotic (plant) adenine DNA methyltransferase (wadmtase) is described; the enzyme seems to be involved in regulation of the mitochondria replication. Like in animals, DNA methylation in plants is closely associated with histone modifications and it affects binding of specific proteins to DNA and formation of respective transcription complexes in chromatin. The same gene (DRM2) in Arabidopsis thaliana is methylated both at cytosine and adenine residues; thus, at least two different, and probably interdependent, systems of DNA modification are present in plants. Plants seem to have a restriction-modification (R-M) system. RNA-directed DNA methylation has been observed in plants; it involves de novo methylation of almost all cytosine residues in a region of siRNA-DNA sequence identity; therefore, it is mainly associated with CNG and non-symmetrical methylations (rare in animals) in coding and promoter regions of silenced genes. Cytoplasmic viral RNA can affect methylation of homologous nuclear sequences and it maybe one of the feedback mechanisms between the cytoplasm and the nucleus to control gene expression.

Efficiency of transcriptional gene silencing of GBSSI in potato depends on the promoter region that is used in an inverted repeat

Transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) of the endogenous GBSSI promoter in potato was induced by inverted repeat constructs containing different regions of the GBSSI promoter. Clear differences in silencing efficiency were observed. The 35SGBP-IR construct, containing sequences from -766 to -168 bp relative to the transcription initiation site (TIS), induced weak silencing effects in 57-60% of the transformants. Weak silencing effects were also induced by the ASP-IR construct harbouring allele-specific sequences covering the region from -531 to -330 bp relative to the TIS, but only in a low percentage (4-5.5%) of the transformants. These percentages are too low to distinguish effects between the two potato cultivars. Therefore, this approach cannot be used to induce allele-specific TGS. Strong silencing effects were obtained in 49% of the transformants harbouring the full promoter inverted repeat construct. This construct contained sequences from -766 to +194 bp relative to the TIS. In the strongly silenced transformants no GBSSI mRNA could be detected by Northern blot analysis. This was accompanied by the accumulation of GBSSI promoter-specific small interfering RNAs. Methylation studies revealed that, in the weakly silenced 35SGBP-IR transformants, the HpaII site at -213 bp relative to the TIS was methylated. Apparently, methylation of this sequence does not result in strong silencing effects. In the full promoter transformants, both CG methylation and CNN methylation were detected. We show that, to obtain strong TGS, it is important to include sequences in the vicinity of the TIS.

Analysis of RNA silencing in agroinfiltrated leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana and Nicotiana tabacum

In this study we analyse several aspects of cytoplasmic RNA silencing by agroinfiltration of DNA constructs encoding single- and double-stranded RNAs derived from a GFP transgene and from the endogenous Virp1 gene. Both types of inductors resulted after 2-4 days in much higher concentration of siRNAs in the agroinfiltrated zone than normally seen during systemic silencing. More specifically, infiltration of two transgene hairpin constructs resulted in elevated levels of siRNAs. However, differences between the two constructs were observed: the antisense-sense arrangement was more effective than the sense-antisense order. For both double-stranded forms, we observed a relative increase of the 24-mer size class of siRNAs. When a comparable hairpin construct of the endogenous Virp1 gene was assayed, the portion of the 24-mer siRNA class remained low as observed for all kinds of single-stranded inducers. The lack of increase of Virp1-derived 24-mers was independent of the expression level, as demonstrated by agroinfiltration into a transgenic plant that overexpressed Virp1 and showed the same pattern. Using transducer constructs, we could detect within a week transitive silencing from GFP to GUS sequences in the infiltrated zone and in either direction 5'-3' and 3'-5'. Conversely, for the endogenous Virp1 gene neither transitive silencing nor the induction of systemic silencing could be observed. These results are discussed in view of the current models of RNA silencing.

RNA silencing of single and multiple members in a gene family of rice

RNA silencing with inverted repeat (IR) constructs has been used to suppress gene expression in various organisms. However, the transitive RNA-silencing effect described in plants may preclude the use of RNA silencing for a gene family. Here, we show that, in rice (Oryza sativa), transitive RNA silencing (spreading of double-stranded RNA along the target mRNA) occurred with the green fluorescent protein transgene but not with the endogenous phytoene desaturase gene. We fused IR copies of unique 3' untranslated regions derived from the rice OsRac gene family to a strong promoter and stably introduced them into rice. Each of the seven members of the OsRac gene family was specifically suppressed by its respective IR construct. We also examined IR constructs in which multiple 3' untranslated regions were fused and showed that three members of the OsRac gene family were effectively suppressed by a single construct. Using highly conserved regions of the two members of the OsRac gene family, we also suppressed the expression of all members of the gene family with variable efficiencies. These results suggest that RNA silencing is a useful method for the functional analysis of gene families in rice and other plants.

Viroids and viroid-host interactions

Although they induce symptoms in plants similar to those accompanying virus infections, viroids have unique structural, functional, and evolutionary characteristics. They are composed of a small, nonprotein-coding, single-stranded, circular RNA, with autonomous replication. Viroid species are clustered into the families Pospiviroidae and Avsunviroidae, whose members replicate (and accumulate) in the nucleus and chloroplast, respectively. Viroids replicate in three steps through an RNA-based rolling-circle mechanism: synthesis of longer-than-unit strands catalyzed by host RNA polymerases; processing to unit-length, which in the family Avsunviroidae is mediated by hammerhead ribozymes; and circularization. Within the initially infected cells, viroid RNA must move to its replication organelle, with the resulting progeny then invading adjacent cells through plasmodesmata and reaching distal parts via the vasculature. To carry out these movements, viroids must interact with host factors. The mature viroid RNA could be the primary pathogenic effector or, alternatively, viroids could exert their pathogenic effects via RNA silencing.

Viroids: petite RNA pathogens with distinguished talents

Viroids are small, circular, single-stranded RNA molecules that cause several infectious plant diseases. Viroids do not encode any pathogen-specific peptides but nonetheless, the subviral pathogens replicate autonomously and spread in the plant by recruiting host proteins via functional motifs encoded in their RNA genome. During the past couple of years, considerable progress has been made towards comprehending how viroids interact with their hosts. Here, we summarize recent findings on the structure-function relationships of viroids, their strategies and mechanisms of replication and trafficking, and the identification and characterization of interacting host proteins. We also describe the impact of the RNA silencing machinery of plants on viroid RNAs and how this has started to influence our models of viroid replication and pathogenicity.