The invasion of tobacco mosaic virus RNA induces endoplasmic reticulum stress-related autophagy in HeLa cells

Li, Li; Wang, Li; Xiao, Ruijing; Zhu, Guoguo; Li, Yan; Liu, Changxuan; Yang, Ru; Tang, Zhiqing; Li, Jie; Huang, Wei; Chen, Lang; Zheng, Xiaoling; He, Yuling; Tan, Jinquan

TMV-RNA is a positive-sense ssRNA (single-stranded RNA) that functions as the viral mRNA. The replication of TMV-RNA in tobacco protoplasts is similar to that of other positive-stranded RNA viruses, and it takes place in two stages; first, synthesis of a minus strand using the viral plus strand RNA as a template is followed by synthesis of progeny plus strands using the minus strand as a template. Secondly, the negative strand acts as a template for the synthesis of subgenomic mRNAs for the MP (movement protein) and the CP [8] . The MP RNA is produced transiently, whereas the replicase and CP RNAs are produced constitutively during infection [14] . CP regulates the formation of replication complexes during TMV infection [15] and it has been highly conserved during evolution in contrast with other TMV proteins that vary from species to species [16] . In previous studies, CP has been shown to be produced in the frog X. laevis, in rabbit reticulocytes and in mouse liver mitochondria [10] [11] [12] .