An effective antiviral strategy based on silence of susceptibility genes through cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) attenuated vaccine vector

Naihe Wang; Cheng Yuan; Zhao Wang; Chengming Yu; Zhifei Liu; Shuyuan Tian; Kaiqiang Hao; Xuefeng Yuan

doi:10.1016/j.virol.2025.110396

An effective antiviral strategy based on silence of susceptibility genes through cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) attenuated vaccine vector

Virology. 2025 Jan 11:603:110396. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2025.110396. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Naihe Wang¹, Cheng Yuan², Zhao Wang¹, Chengming Yu¹, Zhifei Liu¹, Shuyuan Tian¹, Kaiqiang Hao³, Xuefeng Yuan⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, China.
² National Tobacco Genetic Engineering Research Center, Yunnan Academy of Tobacco Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
³ College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, China. Electronic address: kaiqiang1991@sdau.edu.cn.
⁴ College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, China. Electronic address: snowpeak77@163.com.

PMID: 39808892
DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2025.110396

Abstract

Plant viruses represent a major threat to agriculture, affecting a wide range of crops with substantial economic losses. This study presented a novel strategy for managing plant viral diseases through the development an attenuated vaccine utilizing cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) targeting susceptibility gene. TOBAMOVIRUS MULTIPLICATION 2A (TOM2A) gene was identified as a critical factor that enhances susceptibility to TMV infection in plants. Two vaccines were constructed based on CMV attenuated vaccine vector-CR2V. The first vaccine was constructed by incorporating NtTOM2A fragments into CR2V, while the second vaccine was developed by inserting both NtTOM2A fragments and TMV-p183 fragments into CR2V. Each vaccine constructs significantly reduced TMV accumulation, exhibited no adverse effects on plant growth, and maintained stability of the inserted sequences up to 21 days post-vaccination (dpv) in vivo. The study underscored the potential of utilizing engineered plant viruses as environmentally sustainable vaccines for mitigating viral diseases in agriculture.

Keywords: Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) attenuated vaccine vector; TOBAMOVIRUS MULTIPLICATION 2A (TOM2A); Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV).