The poly(A)-binding protein (PABP) is an important translation initiation factor that binds to the polyadenylated 39 end of mRNA. We have previously shown that PABP2 interacts with the RNAdependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and VPg-Pro of turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) within virusinduced vesicles. At least eight PABP isoforms are produced in Arabidopsis thaliana, three of which (PABP2, PABP4 and PABP8) are highly and broadly expressed and probably constitute the bulk of PABP required for cellular functions. Upon TuMV infection, an increase in protein and mRNA expression from PAB2, PAB4 and PAB8 genes was recorded. In vitro binding assays revealed that RdRp and the viral genome-linked protein (VPg-Pro) interact preferentially with PABP2 but are also capable of interaction with one or both of the other class II PABPs (i.e. PABP4 and PABP8). To assess whether PABP is required for potyvirus replication, A. thaliana single and double pab knockouts were isolated and inoculated with TuMV. All lines showed susceptibility to TuMV. However, when precise monitoring of viral RNA accumulation was performed, it was found to be reduced by 2.2-and 3.5-fold in pab2 pab4 and pab2 pab8 mutants, respectively, when compared with wild-type plants. PABP levels were most significantly reduced in the membrane-associated fraction in both of these mutants. TuMV mRNA levels thus correlated with cellular PABP concentrations in these A. thaliana knockout lines. These data provide further support for a role of PABP in potyvirus replication.
INTRODUCTIONThe poly(A)-binding protein (PABP) is an abundant translation initiation factor in the cell that binds to the polyadenylated 39 end of mRNA. Its interaction with the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4F complex (composed of the eIF4E, eIF4A and eIF4G proteins), which is bound to the 59 cap structure of the mRNA, results in the formation of a protein bridge that brings the 59 and 39 termini of the mRNA into proximity. This leads to a synergistic enhancement of translation (Sachs, 2000;Wells et al., 1998). PABP is also important for stability (BehmAnsmant et al., 2007;Parker & Song, 2004), biogenesis (Amrani et al., 1997;Brown & Sachs, 1998) and nuclear export of cellular mRNAs (Brune et al., 2005).Multiple PABP isoforms are normally found in animals and plants (Mangus et al., 2003). Eight PABP genes have been identified in Arabidopsis thaliana (Belostotsky, 2003).The corresponding proteins are divided into four classes based on gene expression and similarity. Class II genes (PAB2, PAB4 and PAB8) are highly and broadly expressed and probably encode the bulk of PABP required for cellular functions (Belostotsky, 2003).In animal cells, PABP is cleaved by proteinases of picornaviruses (Joachims et al., 1999;Kerekatte et al., 1999;Kuyumcu-Martinez et al., 2002, 2004bRodriguez Pulido et al., 2007;Zhang et al., 2007), caliciviruses (Kuyumcu-Martinez et al., 2004a) and retroviruses (Alvarez et al., 2006). The resultant cleavage leads to host translational shutdown (Joachims et al., 1999; KuyumcuMartinez ...