Strategies for developing new genetic resistances to viruses based on the susceptibility factors phosphoglycerate kinases

Summary:

Plant RNA viruses are a major economic threat in agriculture. Plant genes encoding susceptibility factors, (i.e. proteins produced by the plant and used by the virus to successfully multiply) are good targets to develop genetic resistances to viruses. However, the number of such characterized factors is still limited. Among them, the Phosphoglycerate kinase (or PGK), a plant glycolytic enzyme, has been characterized. However, developing new genetic resistances against RNA viruses based on PGK proved to be complex especially because of its redundancy in the plant genome and because the way the virus hijacks them is still unclear.

My PhD takes place in this context.

• The first axis of my work is to understand the redundancy among the three phosphoglycerate kinases of the plant model Arabidopsis thaliana (cPGK1, cPGK2, and PGK3) and design a combination of allele conferring resistance to the potyvirus WMV (Watermelon Mosaic Virus).
• Based on this knowledge, the second axis aims at translating this knowledge to an economically important crop, in Solanum lycopersicum (Sl_cPGK, Sl_PGK, Sl_PGK-MT) against potyvirus and potexvirus.

In this talk I will present the work done during my first two years of PhD.