Cucumber mosaic virus 1a protein interacts with the tobacco she1 transcription factor and partitions between the nucleus and the tonoplast membrane

The transcription factor SHE1 was identified as an interacting partner with the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) 1a protein in the yeast two-hybrid system, by a pull-down assay, and via bimolecular fluorescent complementation. Using fluorescent-tagged proteins and confocal microscopy, the CMV 1a protein itself was found distributed predominantly between the nucleus and the tonoplast membrane, although it was also found in speckles in the cytoplasm. The SHE1 protein was localized in the nucleus, but in the presence of the CMV 1a protein was partitioned between the nucleus and the tonoplast membrane. SHE1 expression was induced by infection of tobacco with four tested viruses: CMV, tobacco mosaic virus, potato virus X and potato virus Y. Transgenic tobacco expressing the CMV 1a protein showed constitutive expression of SHE1, indicating that the CMV 1a protein may be responsible for its induction. However, previously, such plants also were shown to have less resistance to local and systemic movement of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) expressing the green fluorescent protein, suggesting that the CMV 1a protein may act to prevent the function of the SHE1 protein. SHE1 is a member of the AP2/ERF class of transcription factors and is conserved in sequence in several Nicotiana species, although two clades of SHE1 could be discerned, including both different Nicotiana species and cultivars of tobacco, varying by the presence of particular insertions or deletions.