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Poster

Session: Session 2 Presenting Authors at Posters (Evens)

P-118 - Comparison of C4 proteins encoded by different geminiviruses unveils common and specific host targets

Thursday, July 17, 2025
13:30 - 15:15  
Location: Confex Hall 3
Effector Interference Mechanisms

    Presenting Author(s)

  • HW

    Hua Wei

    Department of Plant Biochemistry, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), Eberhard Karls University
    Tübingen, GERMANY

    • Author(s)

  • SP

    Shaojun Pan

    Department of Plant Biochemistry, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany
    Tuebingen, DE, GERMANY

  • RL

    Rosa Lozano-Durán

    University of Tü​bingen
    Tübingen, GERMANY

Geminiviruses pose a serious threat to global food security. C4 is an essential multifunctional geminivirus-encoded protein, often required for symptom development . However, C4 is the most divergent canonical protein in this family, and it remains unclear whether the homologue encoded by different species has similar features and functions. Here, we show that the C4 proteins from nine geminiviruses exhibit distinct but partially overlapping subcellular localizations including plasma membrane, plasmodesmata, nucleus, and chloroplasts. Despite their differences, C4 proteins share a common target, the receptor-like kinase (RLK) BARELY ANY MERISTEM 1 (BAM1); the interaction between C4 and BAM1 inhibits the intercellular movement of RNA silencing. Additionally, most C4 proteins interact with the kinase SKeta and/or RCC1-like domain-containing (RLD) proteins, which can lead to developmental alterations. Arabidopsis thaliana or Nicotiana benthamiana plants expressing C4 proteins display distinct developmental phenotypes that correlate with the identity and strength of these interactions. Using RNA-seq and TurboID-based proximity labeling, we reveal the impact of C4 proteins on the plant transcriptome and identify shared and unique interacting partners in an unbiased manner. These findings provide insight into geminivirus virulence strategies and identify conserved plant pathways targeted during infection, potentially paving the way for strategies to generate resistance.