More than annealing: RNAi is not alone in the fight against plant viruses

Abstract

Cellular organisms have evolved different strategies to defend themselves against the invasion by viruses. In plants, RNA interference (RNAi) or RNA silencing, which is triggered by virus‐derived double‐stranded (ds)RNA, is considered the main antiviral defence mechanism. Martínez‐Pérez et al have now uncovered an additional plant antiviral pathway, termed by the authors “m6A‐YTHDF axis,” which relies on the modification and subsequent recognition of the viral RNA.