Methyltransferase-like (METTL) homologues participate in Nicotiana benthamiana antiviral responses

Methyltransferase (MTase) enzymes catalyze the addition of a methyl group to a variety of biological substrates. MTase-like (METTL) proteins are Class I MTases whose enzymatic activities contribute to the epigenetic and epitranscriptomic regulation of multiple cellular processes. N6-adenosine methyl...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Yue, Jianying, Lu, Yan, Sun, Zhenqi, Guo, Yuqing, San León, David, Pasin, Fabio, Zhao, Mingmin
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/363620
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/363620
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85159769610
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:METTL
Methyltransferase
N6-methyladenosine
Potyviridae
RNA virus
antiviral immunity
Descripción
Sumario:Methyltransferase (MTase) enzymes catalyze the addition of a methyl group to a variety of biological substrates. MTase-like (METTL) proteins are Class I MTases whose enzymatic activities contribute to the epigenetic and epitranscriptomic regulation of multiple cellular processes. N6-adenosine methylation (m6A) is a common chemical modification of eukaryotic and viral RNA whose abundance is jointly regulated by MTases and METTLs, demethylases, and m6A binding proteins. m6A affects various cellular processes including RNA degradation, post-transcriptional processing, and antiviral immunity. Here, we used Nicotiana benthamiana and plum pox virus (PPV), an RNA virus of the Potyviridae family, to investigated the roles of MTases in plant-virus interaction. RNA sequencing analysis identified MTase transcripts that are differentially expressed during PPV infection; among these, accumulation of a METTL gene was significantly downregulated. Two N. benthamiana METTL transcripts (NbMETTL1 and NbMETTL2) were cloned and further characterized. Sequence and structural analyses of the two encoded proteins identified a conserved S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) binding domain, showing they are SAM-dependent MTases phylogenetically related to human METTL16 and Arabidopsis thaliana FIONA1. Overexpression of NbMETTL1 and NbMETTL2 caused a decrease of PPV accumulation. In sum, our results indicate that METTL homologues participate in plant antiviral responses.