Descripción del proyecto
El papel de los cuerpos lipídicos en la infección por virus vegetales
Las células vegetales almacenan lípidos en estructuras especializadas conocidas como cuerpos lipídicos (LD, por sus siglas en inglés), que constituyen una fuente de energía y son los componentes para la biogénesis de membranas y otros procesos celulares, incluido el metabolismo celular. Financiado por las Acciones Marie Skłodowska-Curie, el equipo del proyecto RAPT pretende investigar el papel de los LD en la replicación de virus vegetales como el virus del mosaico del nabo y el virus del enanismo amarillo de la cebada. A partir de las observaciones de que las hojas infectadas por el virus contienen más LD, los investigadores estudiarán si estos últimos sirven como fuentes de energía para la infección por el virus. En el proyecto se investigará cómo interactúan los virus con los LD, con el objetivo de desarrollar estrategias para mejorar la productividad de los cultivos.
Objetivo
The RAPT (lipid dRoplets And PhyTovirus infection) project undertakes an innovative exploration into the potential role of plant leaf lipid droplets (LDs) in the replication of plant viruses, specifically focusing on plant RNA viruses. Lipid droplets, which are ubiquitous organelles derived from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes, play key roles in energy production, membrane biogenesis, and stress signalling. While certain animal RNA viruses utilize LDs for energy or as platforms for viral replication compartments (VRCs), evidence for similar mechanisms in plant RNA viruses remains elusive. The project builds on the previous observations made by the host lab, which suggest a higher abundance of LDs in turnip mosaic virus (TuMV, potyvirus) infected leaves and their spatial proximity to VRCs. The hypothesis is that certain plant viruses, like TuMV, utilize LDs as energy reservoirs for their genome replication, potentially facilitating direct interaction with VRCs. To validate and expand upon this hypothesis, the RAPT project is defined into three primary objectives:
1. Exploring the impact of plant virus infection on LD distribution and lipid metabolism
2. Functional validation of the involvement of plant LDs in the potyvirus infection cycle
3. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms governing the interactions between LDs and TuMV
These objectives address key knowledge gaps regarding the role of LDs in plant virus infection and will focus on potyviruses, mainly TuMV, but other (+) ssRNA virus species of agroeconomic importance such as luteoviruses and poleroviruses will also be studied, with the aim to expand the findings to crops. The results of this project will contribute to the development of broad-spectrum genetic resistances that can be harnessed by breeders to mitigate the adverse impacts of plant viral diseases on agricultural productivity.
Ámbito científico
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagricultureagronomyplant protection
- natural sciencesbiological sciencescell biologycell signaling
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologyvirology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculeslipids
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicsproduction economicsproductivity
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Régimen de financiación
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinador
75007 Paris
Francia