Inhibitory effect on the tobacco mosaic virus infection by a plant RING finger protein

In the yeast two-hybrid screening of plant factors interacting with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), we found a protein containing a RING finger motif in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and designated it as TARF (TMV-associated RING finger protein). TARF is a homologue of a Lotus japonicus RING finger protein (LjnsRING) involved in the symbiotic interaction between L. japonicus and Mesorhizobium loti. When TARF was silenced by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) method, TMV RNA accumulation as well as the number of foci formed by GFP-tagged TMV increased drastically. Transient overexpression of TARF reduced the accumulation of TMV. Moreover, TARF transcription was rapidly upregulated by the inoculation of TMV in tobacco plants. These results indicated that TARF is a RING finger protein that inhibits the accumulation of TMV via the interaction of TMV RdRp.