Molecular dynamics of plant-virus interactions : unravelling the dual role of ubiquitin proteasome system

Plants response to various biotic and abiotic factors requires not only the de novo synthesis of proteins and enzymes but also their precise and timely degradation. The latter is achieved through protein degradation machinery such as the ubiquitin proteasome pathway (UPS). The UPS plays a central role in maintaining cellular physiology and orchestrating plant response to stresses responses. The UPS regulates all stages of defense response from pathogen perception to mounting defense response, this make the UPS a suitable candidate for host manipulation. Viruses are obligatory intracellular pathogens and master of manipulating host defense machinery for successful infection and spread. Several reports suggest a dynamic interaction between the host UPS machinery and viruses. This review focuses on our current understanding of the involvement of UPS in defense against plant viruses and how viruses have evolved mechanisms to counter and exploit UPS machinery for their advantage.