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SUMMARY:The roles of cucumber mosaic virus proteins in modifying plant-aph
 id interactions in tobacco - Trisna Tungadi
DTSTART:20120614T153000Z
DTEND:20120614T160000Z
UID:TALK36684@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Suzy Stoodley
DESCRIPTION:Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is the plant virus with the broade
 st host range. CMV is transmissible by more than 80 aphid species in a non
 -persistent manner. The CMV genome encodes five proteins: the 1a replicati
 on protein\; the 2a replication protein\; the 2b counter-defence protein\;
  the coat protein\, and movement protein (MP). On Nicotiana tabacum (tobac
 co) plants that were infected with a CMV mutant that was unable to produce
  the 2b protein (CMV∆2b)\, there were lower rates of aphid (Myzus persic
 ae) survival and colony growth compared with the rates on plants infected 
 wild-type CMV or on mock-inoculated plants. This suggests that on tobacco\
 , CMV infection enhances aphid performance. It also suggested that one of 
 the CMV proteins that were expressed by CMV∆2b could act as elicitors of
  anti-aphid resistance in tobacco but that during a wild-type CMV infectio
 n\, the 2b protein inhibits this elicitation of aphid resistance.  My proj
 ect focuses on identifying the CMV gene product(s) that elicit defensive r
 esponses in tobacco against aphids.  I generated transgenic tobacco plants
  expressing CMV protein(s) and used them to assess aphid-plant interaction
 s.  I found that on transgenic tobacco plants expressing CMV MP\, individu
 al aphids have lower growth rate and form smaller colonies.  Interestingly
 \, whilst CMV infection fosters aphid survival on tobacco\, it does the op
 posite on Arabidopsis where it induces aphid resistance.  This indicates t
 hat CMV\, a plant virus with a broad host range\, has plant species-specif
 ic effects on host-aphid interactions.  The potential epidemiological impl
 ications of this will be discussed. 
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
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