Phenotypical and molecular characterization of the Tomato mottle Taino virus-Nicotiana megalosiphon interaction

Tomato mottle Taino virus (ToMoTV) infection causes significant yield losses in plants of various Solanaceous species. In this study, the interaction between Nicotiana megalosiphon and ToMoTV was characterized on a phenotypical and molecular basis. In order to isolate genes that are differentially expressed during the interaction of N. megalosiphon with ToMoTV, a PCR-based suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was utilized. RNA dot-blot analysis confirmed induction of representative genes upon ToMoTV inoculation at different time points. Interestingly, most of the genes identified are reported here for the first time to be involved in the response of N. megalosiphon to begomovirus infection.