The current volume of Annual Review of Phytopathology (54:469-498, 2016) recently published a review chapter entitled “Developments in Plant Negative-Strand RNA Virus Reverse Genetics” and written by Prof. Zhenghe Li from Institute of Biotechnology, CAB and his collaborator Prof. Andrew O. Jackson from University of California, Berkeley, USA. They were invited by the Editor Board of this prestigious review journal to introduce recent developments and applications of plant negative RNA virus reverse genetics.
Negative stranded RNA viruses (NSVs) include taxonomically diverse viruses infecting human, vertebrate, insects, fish and plants etc., such as Influenza virus, Ebola virus and Rabies virus of animal, as well as Rice stripe virus and Tomato spotted wilt virus of plants. Reverse genetics system is the most fundamental approach of modern molecular biology, and this system is now available for all the major group of animal NSVs. However, technical difficulties associated with plant tissue culture and in vivo transfection have hampered the development of reverse genetics systems for plant NSVs in the past two decades. Since 2011, Prof. Li have been collaborated with Prof. Jackson, a world-renowned plant NSV expert. Using Sonchus yellow net rhabdovirus as a model, they have subsequently developed minireplicon and full-length clone reverse genetics systems, paving the way for genetic engineering of this group of plant viruses. These studies were subsequently published in Journal of Virology and PLoS Pathogens etc., as a highlighted paper and a cover story, respectively, and were both recommended by Faculty of 1000. Owing to his outstanding research performance, Prof. Li was also honored by Chinese Society of Plant Pathology with “Youth Plant Pathologists Award” this year.
Annual Review of Phytopathology is the world leading review journal in the field of plant pathology. Each year leading experts from diverse areas of plant pathology discipline are invited by the Editor Board to review the recent progresses and development in their respective field. In the review chapter by Jackson & Li, they introduced the history of animal NSV reverse genetics system development, the difference and difficulties associated plant systems and their own research progresses. In addition, solution to develop reverse genetics system to other plant NSVs, and perspective of application of this system in fundamental virology studies and biotechnical innovations were also discussed in the chapter.
Online link: http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-phyto-080615-095909
