Functional analysis of the nonstructural protein NSs of tomato zonate spot virus

Tomato zonate spot virus (TZSV), a member of the genus orthotospovirus, causes severe damage to vegetables and ornamental crops in southwest China. The NSs protein is an RNA silencing suppressor in various orthotospovirus like TZSV, but its mechanism and role in virus infection are poorly understood. Here, we observed that an NSs-GFP fusion protein was transiently expressed on the plasma membrane and Golgi bodies in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. The TZSV NSs gene was silenced and infiltrated into N. benthamiana and N. tabacum cv. K326. RT-qPCR and Indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ID-ELISA) showed that the transcription and the protein expression of the NSs gene were inhibited by more than 90.00%, and the symptoms on silenced plants were alleviated. We also found that the expression of the Zingipain-2-like gene significantly decreased when the NSs gene was silenced, resulting in co-localization of the NSs-GFP and the Zingipain-2-like-mCherry fusion protein. The findings of this study provide new insights into the mechanism of silencing suppression by NSs, as well as its effect on systemic virus infection, and also support the theory of disease resistance breeding and control and prevention of TZSV in the field.

Automated summary

This study found that the NSs protein of Tomato zonate spot virus acts as an RNA silencing suppressor in tobacco plants, inhibiting the transcription and protein expression of viral genes and alleviating the symptoms of viral infection. The study also discovered that the NSs protein suppresses the expression of the Zingipain-2-like protein, which co-localizes with NSs.