EVIREP (2022 - 2023)

Viruses, obligate parasites, hijack plant cellular functions to complete their infectious cycle. We have recently shown that the CmVPS4 protein is a susceptibility factor for potyvirus watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) in melon. The VPS4 protein is part of the ESCRT complex (Endosomal sorting complexes required for transport), which allows the formation of membrane vesicles. This project involves four INRAE teams (GAFL, BFP, PV and UE AHM) and combines genetic and functional approaches to better understand the role of VPS4 and other ESCRT proteins in the infectious cycle of potyviruses, to explore polymorphism in the genes coding for these proteins and to determine whether the polymorphisms are responsible for resistance to potyviruses and other viruses, in order to test the genericity of these new resistance mechanisms.