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Expression and antiviral application of exogenous lectin (griffithsin) in sweetpotatoes

Summary

Scientists successfully created sweetpotato plants that produce griffithsin, a powerful antiviral protein found in marine algae. When these modified plants were grown in fields, they resisted a devastating sweetpotato virus disease that normally destroys crops. Interestingly, the virus-fighting mechanism works differently in plants than in animals—instead of directly blocking the virus, griffithsin triggers the plant’s own natural antiviral defense genes.

Background

Griffithsin (GRFT) is a broad-spectrum antiviral lectin derived from marine algae that has been effective against various human viruses. Little information exists on whether GRFT can prevent plant viral diseases. This study explores the potential of sweetpotato as a bioreactor for expressing exogenous GRFT.

Objective

To construct GRFT overexpression vectors and generate transgenic sweetpotato lines, evaluate their resistance to sweetpotato virus disease, and determine the antiviral mechanism of GRFT against plant viruses.

Results

Transgenic sweetpotato lines expressing GRFT showed notable resistance to sweetpotato virus disease in field conditions. Transient GRFT expression in tobacco inhibited sweetpotato leaf curl virus (SPLCV) replication in a dose-dependent manner. GRFT did not interact with SPLCV components, and a carbohydrate-binding deficient mutant (GRFT D/A) retained antiviral activity, indicating a carbohydrate-independent mechanism.

Conclusion

Sweetpotato effectively expresses GRFT as a bioreactor without affecting tuber development. GRFT inhibits plant viruses by promoting expression of plant antiviral genes including HIN1, ICS1, WRKY40, and PR10, independent of viral protein binding or carbohydrate recognition.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Plant Science,
  • Study Type:Experimental Study,
  • Source: PMID: 39081525, DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1421244
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