Identification of a novel tobacco DnaJ-like protein that interacts with the movement protein of tobacco mosaic virus

The movement protein (MP) of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) mediates the transport of viral RNA from infected cells to neighboring uninfected cells via plasmodesmata by interacting with putative host factors. To find such host factors, we screened tobacco proteins using the yeast two-hybrid system. NtMPIP1, a novel subset of DnaJ-like proteins, was identified from a tobacco cDNA library, and its specific interaction with TMV MP was confirmed with an in vitro filter-binding assay. In a deletion analysis, using a series of truncated TMV MPs and NtMPIP1s, at least two regions of TMV MP, amino acid residues 65-86 and 120-185, conferred the ability to interact with the C-terminal domain of NtMPIP1, which is thought to be involved in substrate binding. Virus-induced gene silencing of NtMPIP1 significantly inhibited the spread of TMV. Therefore, it is reasonable to consider that endogenous NtMPIP1 is a host factor involved in virus cell-to-cell spread by interacting with TMV MP.