Porameri Zeinab, Ghorbani Abozar, Mirsoleymani Zahra, Karimi Marzieh, Rostami Mahsa, Hemmati Seyed Ali
Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
Nuclear Agriculture Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Karaj, Iran.
Biochem Biophys Rep. 2025 Aug 19;43:102214. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2025.102214. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Curly top disease, caused by Beet Curly Top Virus (BCTV), is a major threat to sugar beet (), resulting in significant yield losses. This study integrates RNA sequencing, gene network analysis, and experimental validation to uncover key regulatory genes involved in plant responses to viral infection. Network analysis identified nine central hub genes associated with fatty acid metabolism, stress adaptation, and transcriptional regulation. Meanwhile, functional enrichment analysis highlighted chloroplast-associated immune signaling, oxidative stress modulation, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis as critical defense mechanisms. Due to the genomic similarities between BCTV and Beet Curly Top Iran Virus (BCTIV), BCTIV was selected to investigate whether conserved molecular responses exist in sugar beet infected by these phylogenetically related viruses. The upregulation of hub genes - Su1 (EMB3147), Su2 (FRS5), and Su3 (LACS9)- under BCTIV infection was found to mirror patterns observed in BCTV-infected plants, suggesting convergent defense mechanisms against both viruses. A strong correlation (R = 0.995) between qRT-PCR and RNA-Seq data further confirmed that the close genomic proximity of BCTIV to BCTV results in analogous transcriptional reprogramming in the host, supporting the broader relevance of these findings for curly top disease management.
由甜菜曲顶病毒（BCTV）引起的曲顶病是甜菜的主要威胁，会导致显著的产量损失。本研究整合了RNA测序、基因网络分析和实验验证，以揭示参与植物对病毒感染反应的关键调控基因。网络分析确定了九个与脂肪酸代谢、应激适应和转录调控相关的核心枢纽基因。同时，功能富集分析突出了叶绿体相关免疫信号传导、氧化应激调节和次生代谢物生物合成作为关键防御机制。由于BCTV与伊朗甜菜曲顶病毒（BCTIV）在基因组上具有相似性，因此选择BCTIV来研究受这些系统发育相关病毒感染的甜菜中是否存在保守的分子反应。发现在BCTIV感染下枢纽基因Su1（EMB3147）、Su2（FRS5）和Su3（LACS9）的上调反映了在BCTV感染植物中观察到的模式，表明对两种病毒存在趋同防御机制。qRT-PCR与RNA-Seq数据之间的强相关性（R = 0.995）进一步证实，BCTIV与BCTV在基因组上的紧密接近导致宿主中类似的转录重编程，支持了这些发现对曲顶病管理的更广泛相关性。
