New Applications of Insecticidal RNAi
Published in Frontiers in Agronomy
The Characterization of a Novel Virus Discovered in the Yeast Pichia membranifaciens
Mycoviruses are widely distributed across fungi, including the yeasts of the Saccharomycotina subphylum. This manuscript reports the first double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus isolated from Pichia membranifaciens. This novel virus has been named Pichia membranifaciens virus L-A (PmV-L-A) and is a member of the Totiviridae. PmV-L-A is 4579 bp in length...
SeV C Protein Plays a Role in Restricting Macrophage Phagocytosis by Limiting the Generation of Intracellular Double-Str...
Published in Frontiers in Microbiology
Macrophages play a central role in the innate immune response to respiratory viral infections through pro-inflammatory factor secretion and phagocytosis. However, as a countermeasure, viral pathogens have evolved virulence factors to antagonize macrophage function. In our recent in vitro analyses of murine macrophage cell lines, Sendai virus (SeV) ...
Role of helical structure and dynamics in oligoadenylate synthetase 1 (OAS1) mismatch tolerance and activation by short ...
Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
The 2’-5’-oligoadenylate synthetases (OAS) are innate immune sensors of cytosolic double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that play a critical role in limiting viral infection. How these proteins are able to avoid aberrant activation by cellular RNAs is not fully understood, but adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing has been proposed to limit accumulation of e...
Impaired Antiviral Responses to Extracellular Double-Stranded RNA and Cytosolic DNA, but Not to Interferon-α Stimulation...
The physiologic function of tripartite motif protein 56 (TRIM56), a ubiquitously expressed E3 ligase classified within the large TRIM protein family, remains elusive. Gene knockdown studies have suggested TRIM56 as a positive regulator of the type I interferon (IFN-I) antiviral response elicited via the Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) and cyclic GMP–AM...
Double-stranded RNA targeting fungal ergosterol biosynthesis pathway controls Botrytis cinerea and postharvest grey moul...
Published in Plant biotechnology journal
Pathogenic fungi cause major postharvest losses. During storage and ripening, fruit becomes highly susceptible to fungi that cause postharvest disease. Fungicides are effective treatments to limit disease. However, due to increased public concern for their possible side effects, there is a need to develop new strategies to control postharvest funga...
Intron-assisted, viroid-based production of insecticidal circular double-stranded RNA in Escherichia coli.
Published in RNA biology
RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural mechanism for protecting against harmful genetic elements and regulating gene expression, which can be artificially triggered by the delivery of homologous double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). This mechanism can be exploited as a highly specific and environmentally friendly pest control strategy. To this aim, systems fo...
Effects of Double-Stranded RNAs Targeting Fusarium graminearum TRI6 on Fusarium Head Blight and Mycotoxins.
Published in Phytopathology
Fusarium graminearum is the causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB), which reduces crop yield and contaminates grains with poisonous trichothecene mycotoxins, including deoxynivalenol (DON). DON functions as an important virulence factor that promotes FHB spread in wheat; therefore, reducing DON production will decrease yield losses to FHB and i...
Inhibition of PKR by Viruses
Published in Frontiers in Microbiology
Cells respond to viral infections through sensors that detect non-self-molecules, and through effectors, which can have direct antiviral activities or adapt cell physiology to limit viral infection and propagation. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha kinase 2, better known as PKR, acts as both a sensor and an effector in the response t...
LN Monocytes Limit DC-Poly I:C Induced Cytotoxic T Cell Response via IL-10 and Induction of Suppressor CD4 T Cells
Published in Frontiers in Immunology
Every immune response has accelerators and brakes. Depending on the pathogen or injury, monocytes can play either role, promoting or resolving immunity. Poly I:C, a potent TLR3 ligand, licenses cross-presenting dendritic cells (DC1) to accelerate a robust cytotoxic T cells response against a foreign antigen. Poly I:C thus has promise as an adjuvant...
