PS Seminar Series: Towards Understanding the Mechanisms of the Tomato Lethal Disease Caused by the Infection of a Non-coding Viral RNA
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Abstract - I will talk about our recent progress in understanding of the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying a tomato lethal disease caused by the infection of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) associated with D satellite RNA (CMV/D satRNA). Previous work has shown that CMV/D satRNA induces programmed cell death in developing vascular cells which leads to rapid systemic necrosis and plant death. The necrogenicity is determined by three nucleotides near the 3’ end of DsatRNA. The lethal disease only occurs in tomato and its close wild relatives. I will further report the results from the analysis of small RNA (sRNA) profiling and degradome in the infected plants and discuss the role of RDR6 and SGS3 in D satRNA-induced rapid plant death.
Biography - coming soon
Location
Eucalyptus Room (S2.05), Level 2, RN Robertson Building (46), ANU
Upcoming events in this series
Dr Allen (Zhengyu) Wen - Maize lethal necrosis (MLN) threatens food security for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our research identified two genetic solutions: a mutated peroxisomal peptidase that blocks viral invagination and a eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E mutant that stops viral protein translation while preserving plant growth. Using gene editing, we introduced these traits into elite maize varieties. In Kenyan trials, edited lines showed complete MLN resistance with no yield loss, offering a major advance for protecting millions of farmers’ livelihoods.
Dr Thomas Vanhercke - Plant synthetic biology and metabolic engineering enable precise redesign of plant genomes for improved traits and new functions. For over 20 years, the CSIRO Synthetic Traits group has led in applying advanced genetics to oil crops. This presentation highlights omega-3 transgenic canola as a real-world example delivering health benefits and addressing global supply challenges. I’ll also outline emerging developments such as high-throughput in-planta library screening, advanced RNAi, and novel complex traits pushing plant synthetic biology’s limits.