Andrade Fernanda Alves de, Luna-Aragão Madson Allan de, Ferreira José Diogo Cavalcanti, Souza Fernanda Freitas, Rocha Oliveira Ana Carolina da, Costa Antônio Félix da, Aragão Francisco José Lima, Santos-Silva Carlos André Dos, Benko-Iseppon Ana Maria, Pandolfi Valesca
Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife 50670-901, Brazil.
Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil.
Viruses. 2025 Jul 28;17(8):1050. doi: 10.3390/v17081050.
Cowpea () is a crop of significant socioeconomic importance, particularly in the semi-arid regions of Africa and America. However, its productivity has been adversely affected by viral diseases, including the (CABMV), a single-stranded RNA virus. It is known that the VPg protein interacts with the host's translation initiation factor (eIF4E), promoting viral replication. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between mutations in the cowpea gene and resistance to CABMV. Twenty-seven cultivars were screened by PCR and bioassays for presence/absence of mutations associated with resistance or susceptibility to Potyviruses. Of the cultivars with mutations previously associated with susceptibility, 88.24% exhibited viral symptoms, while 62.5% associated with resistance remained asymptomatic. The in silico analyses revealed that non-synonymous mutations (Pro68Arg, Gly109Arg) alter the structure of the eIF4E protein, reducing its affinity to VPg. Molecular dynamics simulations also pointed to an enhanced structural stability of eIF4E in resistant cultivars and reinforced, for the first time, key mutations and the functional role of the gene in resistance to CABMV in cowpea. Our results offer valuable insights for virus disease management and for genetic improvement programs for this important crop.
豇豆（）是一种具有重要社会经济意义的作物，在非洲和美洲的半干旱地区尤为如此。然而，其生产力受到病毒病的不利影响，包括豇豆花叶病毒（CABMV），一种单链RNA病毒。已知VPg蛋白与宿主的翻译起始因子（eIF4E）相互作用，促进病毒复制。本研究旨在调查豇豆基因中的突变与对CABMV的抗性之间的关系。通过PCR和生物测定法对27个品种进行筛选，以检测与对马铃薯Y病毒抗性或易感性相关的突变的存在与否。在先前与易感性相关的突变品种中，88.24%表现出病毒症状，而与抗性相关的品种中有62.5%无症状。计算机分析表明，非同义突变（Pro68Arg、Gly109Arg）改变了eIF4E蛋白的结构，降低了其与VPg的亲和力。分子动力学模拟还指出，抗性品种中eIF4E的结构稳定性增强，首次强化了关键突变以及该基因在豇豆对CABMV抗性中的功能作用。我们的结果为这种重要作物的病毒病管理和遗传改良计划提供了有价值的见解。
