A perillaldehyde‐derived virucide targets phytoviral coat protein at Ser207 to impede intercellular spread

BACKGROUND: Plant viruses rely on long-distance transport to establish systemic infection within hosts, and cell-to-cell movement is often a prerequisite for vascular entry and subsequent systemic spread. Therefore, interference with virus movement represents an attractive antiviral strategy. Here, we report a series of perillaldehyde-derived compounds bearing an α-aminophosphonate moiety, evaluate their anti-phytoviral activities, and elucidate the mechanism of a representative lead. RESULTS: recombinant PVY produced predominantly single-cell fluorescence, indicating impaired cell-to-cell movement. The co-immunoprecipitation results further suggested that this inhibition may arise from disrupted interaction with the host factor NtCPIP. CONCLUSION: This study identifies compound Y14 as an antiviral lead that targets PVY CP and functionally compromises viral intercellular spread, thereby suppressing systemic infection. These findings provide a mechanistically distinctive chemical for PVY management. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.