A small viral protein suppresses immune amplification by two distinct mechanisms
Si Liu, Ting Yang, Qian Cai, Wan-Xiang Li, Shou-Wei Ding · 2026
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Description
Liu and colleagues report a 2026 study of a tiny viral protein that blocks plant immunity in two separate ways. Cucumber mosaic virus fights back with its 2b protein. The team built virus versions with shortened 2b proteins to separate the protein's skills.
One shortened protein could still grip small RNAs and long viral RNA, and it blocked the amplification route run by the host enzyme RDR6, but not the RDR1 route. The other shortened protein could not grip RNA, yet it blocked the RDR1 route by binding that enzyme directly. Only in plants whose own defense was crippled could a fully disarmed virus thrive, proving both skills matter in real infection. One small protein thus runs two separate counter-defenses.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Si Liu, Ting Yang, Qian Cai, Wan-Xiang Li, Shou-Wei Ding |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 39 KB |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |