Identification and Molecular Characterization of a TYLCV Novel Isolate Associated with Disease in Tomato Cultivars Carrying Bred Resistance

Abstract Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is a devastating viral pathogen threatening agricultural crops globally. In this study, we identified a novel TYLCV isolate (TYLCV-YN6244), which caused viral epidemic in resistant tomato cultivars at Yuanmo county, Yunnan Province of China. We determined the complete genome of TYLCV-YN6244 and found it encoded six viral proteins characteristic of Geminivirus . We identified its V2 protein as a potent viral suppressor of RNA silencing (VSR), and generated infectious clone of wildtype TYLCV-YN6244, or V2-defective TYLCV-YN6244 (TYLCV-YN6244-ΔV2) in which V2 was deleted. Both of infectious clones were capable of systemically infecting tobacco and tomato. However, TYLCV-YN6244 but not TYLCV-YN6244-ΔV2 could cause disease symptoms in wildtype tobacco or tomato plants, and viral accumulation was drastically reduced in plants infected with TYLCV-YN6244-ΔV2 compared to TYLCV-YN6244 while the efficiency of virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs) biogenesis was conversely increased in plants infected with TYLCV-YN6244-ΔV2. Surprisingly, small RNA profiling indicated that 21nt and 22nt rather than 24nt vsiRNAs were predominantly produced in tomato plants infected with either TYLCV-YN6244 or TYLCV-YN6244-ΔV2. Furthermore, transcriptome analyses revealed that TYLCV-YN6244 or TYLCV-YN6244-ΔV2 infection differentially modulated metabolism and defense-related pathways in tomato, probably underlying distinct viral pathogenicity and disease symptoms induced in plants. Overall, our research not only identified a novel pathogenic TYLCV isolate but also characterized molecular biology and host response in tomato with infectious clones firstly developed, with implications in untangling virus-host interaction for developing novel resistance in crop tomato.