Investigation of plant translation initiation factor modulation by Triticum mosaic virus

Abstract

Viruses have evolved unique strategies to take over the cellular protein synthesis machinery of their host for efficient infection. Although viruses cause serious economic damage to agricultural crops, little is known about their mechanism of translation. The Potyviridae family is the largest and most agronomically influential group of plant viruses. This project investigates the ability of the recently-emerged Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV) to modulate host translation factors to favor its own translation. TriMV stands out within the Potyviridae family, having an unusually long translational enhancer in its 5' untranslated region that has been shown to direct translation stronger than other Potyvirus translational enhancers. This project uses semi-quantitative western blot to investigate whether different host translation initiation factors are modulated upon TriMV infection, and whether this is a direct consequence of the viral infection. Better knowledge of the mechanism of viral infection can be a basis for the advancing crop protection.