HIGS in wheat-Fusarium culmorum pathosystem: modification of barley stripe mosaic virus vector

Tretiakova Polina Yakovlevna, Soloviev Aleksandr Aleksandrovich

Host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) has been shown to be an effective tool when studying interactions between pathogens and crops. To study head blight on wheat caused by Fusarium culmorum, γ-vector of barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) was modified so it carried the fragment of the tri5 gene enabling dsRNA-mediated transient silencing. Capped viral RNAs were synthesized to perform an infection of young wheat plants. The infection efficiency by virus/viral construct amounted to 98%. Application of the γ-PDS vector resulted in colorless stripes and areas on plant leaves proving the effectiveness of the silencing machinery. The γ-TRI5 vector was developed to test the aggressiveness of F. culmorum while suppressing its ability to produce trichothecene mycotoxins that are a potential virulence factor on wheat.

Keywords:head blight, virus, wheat, BSMV, VIGS, HIGS, Fusarium culmorum, tri5, trichothecene mycotoxins, silencing, RNA interference, dsRNA, transient expression, pathosystem, infection.