Scientists unveil shield against crop viruses
Technology
RNA-based agents work by enhancing the plant’s natural immune system
(Web Desk) - Researchers at Martin Luther University have developed groundbreaking RNA-based agents that offer high levels of protection against cucumber mosaic virus, a major agricultural threat.
These agents harness the plant’s immune response, enhancing its ability to combat the virus effectively. Impressively, up to 100pc of treated plants in laboratory settings survived despite heavy viral infections.
Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have developed new RNA-based agents that effectively protect plants from the Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), one of the most widespread and damaging viruses in agriculture and horticulture.
These agents work by enhancing the plant’s natural immune system using a combination of RNA molecules.
In laboratory tests, 80 to 100 percent of treated plants survived even when exposed to a high viral load, according to a study published in Nucleic Acids Research.
The journal recognized the research as a “breakthrough article,” highlighting its significance. The team is now focused on transitioning this discovery from the lab to real-world applications.
CMV is a highly destructive virus that threatens more than 1,200 plant species, including essential crops like squash, cucumbers, cereals, and medicinal plants. It spreads rapidly through approximately 90 species of aphids and is easily recognizable by the distinctive mosaic-like discoloration on infected leaves. Once a plant is infected, it struggles to grow, and its fruit becomes unsellable.
Currently, there are no approved treatments for CMV. However, MLU researchers aim to change that by leveraging the plant’s own defense mechanisms, guiding them more effectively to combat the virus.
When a virus infects a plant, it uses the plant’s cells as a host. The virus multiplies via its genetic material in the form of ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules in the plant cells. Once injected, these foreign RNA molecules trigger an initial response from the plant’s immune system. Special enzyme scissors recognize and cut the viral RNA molecules.
This process produces small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which spread throughout the plant and trigger a second step of the immune response. The siRNA molecules bind to special protein complexes and guide them to the RNA molecules of the virus. Once there, the proteins begin to break down the harmful RNA molecules of the virus by converting them into harmless, degradable fragments.
