Open AccessRNA N 6 ‐methyladenosine modification suppresses replication of rice black streaked dwarf virus and is associated with virus persistence in its insect vector
Author(s) -
Tian Shuping,
Wu Nan,
Zhang Lu,
Wang Xifeng
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
molecular plant pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.945
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1364-3703
pISSN - 1464-6722
DOI - 10.1111/mpp.13097
Subject(s) - biology , brown planthopper , virology , virus , viral replication , vector (molecular biology) , gene , host (biology) , rna silencing , rna , genetics , rna interference , viral life cycle , recombinant dna
N 6 methylation of adenosine (m 6 A) was recently discovered to play a role in regulating the life cycle of various viruses by modifying viral and host RNAs. However, different studies on m 6 A effects on the same or different viruses have revealed contradictory roles for m 6 A in the viral life cycle. In this study, we sought to define the role of m 6 A on infection by rice black streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV), a double‐stranded RNA virus, of its vector small brown planthopper (SBPH). Infection by RBSDV decreased the level of m 6 A in midgut cells of SBPHs. We then cloned two genes ( LsMETTL3 and LsMETTL14 ) that encode m 6 A RNA methyltransferase in SBPHs. After interference with expression of the two genes, the titre of RBSDV in the midgut cells of SBPHs increased significantly, suggesting that m 6 A levels were negatively correlated with virus replication. More importantly, our results revealed that m 6 A modification might be the epigenetic mechanism that regulates RBSDV replication in its insect vector and maintains a certain virus threshold required for persistent transmission.