双链RNA结合蛋白是RNA干扰（RNAi）途径中的小分子，与作为辅助因子的DCL蛋白一起形成RNAi机制。双链RNA结合（DRB）蛋白是RNA沉默信号通路中的关键蛋白，但该蛋白在番茄抗黄化曲叶病毒（TYLCV）中的作用尚未报道。

Plant Signaling & Behavior,1 Dec 2022

Silencing of SlDRB1 gene reduces resistance totomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

Author

Xin Huang, Jianming Wei, Dan Wu……Sili Fang, Yao Xiao & Yunzhou Li*

*: Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, China

Abstract

Double-stranded RNA-binding proteins are small molecules in the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway that form the RNAi machinery together with the Dicer-like protein (DCL) as a cofactor. This machinery cuts double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to form multiple small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Our goal was to clarify the function ofDRBin tomato resistant to TYLCV. In this experiment, the expression of theSlDRB1and SlDRB4 genes was analyzed in tomato leaves by qPCR, and the function of SlDRB1 and SlDRB4 in resistance to TYLCV was investigated by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). Then, peroxidase activity was determined. The results showed that the expression of SlDRB1 gradually increased after inoculation of ‘dwarf tomato’ plants with tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), but this gene was suppressed after 28 days. Resistance to TYLCV was significantly weakened after silencing of theSlDRB1 gene. However, there were no significant expression differences in SlDRB4after TYLCV inoculation. Our study showed that silencing SlDRB1 attenuated the ability of tomato plants to resist virus infection; therefore, SlDRB1may play a key role in the defense against TYLCV in tomato plants, whereasSlDRB4 is likely not involved in this defense response. Taken together, These results suggest that theDRB gene is involved in the mechanism of antiviral activity.