A novel AP2 domain transcription factor from lycopersicon esculentum, functions in Tobacco Mosaic Virus pathogenesis

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b1124808 (Table of Contents)

In this work, one of the established plant defense proteins namely that corresponding to the class EREBP-like transcription factors containing the AP2 domain was examined to identify a possible role in Tobacco Mosaic Virus Pathogenesis. Inparticular, a putative AP2-domain EREBP-like transcription factor JERF1- from tomato cDNA was subcloned into various expression vectors in order to test for its potential role in virus response in Solanacaea. The gene silencing experiments, in which death was observed subsequent to silencing of the JERF1 gene and TMV infection, have shown that this particular gene might be involved in the TMV infection cycle in Solanacaea. The results of a yeast mating assay conducted in this study has also implied that JERF1 is an interactor of plant P58IPK. This possibility would in turn suggests that JERF1 may be involved in plant-virus interaction. Overexpression, yeastprotein expression, and GFP-fusion constructs have also been prepared to support functional analyses of this putative transcription factor. It would follow to reason that this study of the recently sequenced JERF1 describes the first attempt to understand the function of this protein in plant-virus interaction.