CRISPR technology to combat plant RNA viruses: A theoretical model for Potato virus Y (PVY) resistance. (August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hameed, Amir; Shan-e-Ali Zaidi, Syed; Sattar, Muhammad Naeem; Iqbal, Zafar; Tahir, Muhammad Nouman
• Is Part Of: Microbial pathogenesis. Volume 133(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-08
• Subjects: Cas13 -- CRISPR -- Plant -- PVY -- RNA -- Virus; Pathogenic microorganisms -- Periodicals; Pathology, Molecular -- Periodicals; Communicable Diseases -- microbiology -- Periodicals; Communicable Diseases -- parasitology -- Periodicals; Micro-organismes pathogènes -- Périodiques; Pathologie moléculaire -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 616.9041
• DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2019.103551
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0882-4010

Abstract

Abstract: RNA viruses are the most diverse phytopathogens which cause severe epidemics in important agricultural crops and threaten the global food security. Being obligatory intracellular pathogens, these viruses have developed fine-tuned evading mechanisms and are non-responsive to most of the prophylactic treatments. Additionally, their sprint ability to overcome host defense demands a broad-spectrum and durable mechanism of resistance. In context of CRISPR-Cas discoveries, some variants of Cas effectors have been characterized as programmable RNA-guided RNases in the microbial genomes and could be reprogramed in mammalian and plant cells with guided RNase activity. Recently, the RNA variants of CRISPR-Cas systems have been successfully employed in plants to engineer resistance against RNA viruses. Some variants of CRISPR-Cas9 have been tamed either for directly targeting plant RNA viruses' genome or through targeting the host genes/factors assisting in viral proliferation. The new frontiers in CRISPR-Cas discoveries, and more importantly shifting towards RNA targeting will pyramid the opportunities in plant virus research. The current review highlights the probable implications of CRISPR-Cas system to confer the pathogen-derived or host-mediated resistance against phytopathogenic RNA viruses. Furthermore, a multiplexed CRISPR-Cas13a methodology is proposed here to combat Potato virus Y (PVY); a globally diverse phytopathogen infecting multiple crops.