Viroid Intercellular Trafficking RNA Motifs, Cellular Factors and Broad Impacts 英文参考文献.docVIP

Viruses 2009, 1, 210-221; doi:10.3390/v1020210 OPEN ACCESS viruses ISSN 1999-4915 /journal/viruses Review Viroid Intercellular Trafficking: RNA Motifs, Cellular Factors and Broad Impacts Ryuta Takeda and Biao Ding * Department of Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Program, Ohio State University, 207 Rightmire Hall, 1060 Carmack Road, Columbus, 43210 USA; E-Mail: takeda.7@ * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ding.35@; Tel.: +1-614-247-6077; Fax: +1-614-292-5379. Received: 29 July 2009; in revised form: 31 August 2009 / Accepted: 1 September 2009 / Published: 1 September 2009 Abstract: Viroids are noncoding RNAs that infect plants. In order to establish systemic infection, these RNAs must traffic from an initially infected host cell into neighboring cells and ultimately throughout a whole plant. Recent studies have identified structural motifs in a viroid that are required for trafficking, enabling further studies on the mechanisms of their function. Some cellular proteins interact with viroids in vivo and may play a role in viroid trafficking, which can now be directly tested by using a virus-induced gene silencing system that functions efficiently in plant species from which these factors were identified. This review discusses these recent advances, unanswered questions and the use of viroid infection as an highly productive model to elucidate mechanisms of RNA trafficking that is of broad biological significance. Keywords: viroid; RNA motif; RNA trafficking; plasmodesmata; phloem 1. Introduction Viroids are single-stranded, circular, noncoding and infectious RNAs in plants that have genome sizes ranging from 246 to 401 nucleotides [1-5]. Currently known viroids are classified into two families: Avsunviroidae and Pospiviroidae, based on their sequences, structures and biological  Viruses 2009, 1 21