Molecular interactions controlling plant stem cell and germline infection by RNA viruses

• Applicant: Dr. Marco Incarbone
• Subject Area: Organismic Interactions, Chemical Ecology and Microbiomes of Plant Systems ; Plant Breeding and Plant Pathology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 550499482

Viral diseases can have nefarious consequences on plant cultivation and understanding their modes of propagation and transmission is fundamental for food security. Expanding our knowledge on plant antiviral defenses is crucial to enhance our toolkit in the fight against these diseases. It has long been known that plant stem cells and reproductive cells (germline) possess very effective antiviral defenses, resulting in exclusion of many pathogenic viruses from the host’s progeny. Conversely, a vast number under-investigated RNA viruses known as cryptic or persistent are able to persist in stem cells and germlines of their hosts through vertical transmission. Despite the huge importance and long-reaching implications of these biological phenomena, they remain very poorly understood. This project aims to understand how plant stem cells and gametes respond to infection by RNA viruses, through extensive experimental investigation focusing on transcriptomics, small RNA-omics and microscopy of these cell types. The project has three main aims. Firstly, it aims to unravel the molecular mechanisms and consequences of stem cell exclusion versus infection by RNA viruses. Secondly, it aims to investigate and manipulate a stem and germ cell-compatible RNA virus, a type of virus that is very poorly understood. Thirdly, it aims to implement new tools to effectively and conveniently visualize virus propagation – or lack thereof - in stem and reproductive cells. The novelty of the proposed research, the unique biological tools and know-how developed by my lab and the potential for impactful discovery make this a very promising line of research with important implications in fundamental and applied plant science.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants