Yunfeng Wu

Actinidia yellowing ringspot virus (AYRSpV) is an economically important pathogen that significantly reduces kiwifruit yield and impairs fruit quality. Conventional virus eradication methods, such as thermotherapy and ribavirin-based chemotherapy, often cause phytotoxicity and involve complex procedures. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of polysaccharide peptide (PSP), a natural antiviral compound, for eliminating AYRSpV from kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) in combination with shoot tip culture. Our results show that PSP treatment not only achieved high virus eradication rates but also promoted the growth and rooting capacity of kiwifruit plantlets in tissue culture. Treatment with 1 mg/mL PSP followed by culture of 0.5–1.5 mm shoot tips resulted in 76.7% to 90% elimination of AYRSpV, along with significant improvements in plant height and leaf development. This study reports the first successful use of PSP for eradicating kiwifruit viruses, offering a cost-effective and phytobeneficial alternative to conventional antiviral agents.

Root rot disease caused by fungal pathogens of wine grapevines poses a serious threat to their growth and results in a substantial economic impact on grape

Dwarfing and yellowing are characteristic symptoms caused by viral infections and are considered significant contributors to reduced crop yield. In this study, we identified that infection by barley yellow dwarf virus-GAV (BYDV-GAV) leads to a delay in the flowering process, potentially diminishing grain yield in wheat. The BYDV-GAV movement protein (MP) interacts with vascular plant one-zinc finger proteins (VOZs), which play a crucial role in promoting wheat flowering. Expression of MP inhibits floral transition in Arabidopsis thaliana. Furthermore, BYDV-GAV MP facilitates the degradation of VOZ transcription factors via the 26S proteasome pathway, independently of phytochrome B. Domain B in VOZ is essential for the interaction between VOZ and MP. Our results provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying virus-induced symptoms. [ ] Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

The interactions among viruses and host plants are complex and fascinating because these organisms interact with and adapt to each other continuously. Many plant transcription factors play important roles in plant growth and development and in the resistance to viral infection. To facilitate the infection of plants, some viral proteins typically target and inhibit the function of plant transcription factors. In this study, we found an interesting phenomenon wherein the p3a protein of barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) can interact with the zinc finger domain of the TaDOF transcription factor in wheat; the zinc finger domain of TaDOF can interact with the promoter of TaHSP70 and inhibit the transcription of the TaHSP70 gene; and p3a interacts with the TaDOF zinc finger domain through competitive binding, alleviating TaDOF zinc finger domain-mediated inhibition of the TaHSP70 promoter, thereby promoting TaHSP70 expression and promoting infection by BYDV. This study demonstrates that BYDV p3a is an immunosuppressive factor and enriches our understanding of the pathogenesis of BYDV.

Kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) is a perennial fruit tree, and the fruit of kiwifruit is economically and nutritionally important worldwide. To date, approximately 23 species of kiwifruit viruses have been reported worldwide. As for the detection method for kiwifruit viruses, previous reports mostly used the single RT-PCR detection method. In the detection of kiwifruit viruses, multiplex RT-PCR has the advantages of being fast, reliable and inexpensive. In this study, a stable, efficient and reliable multiplex RT-PCR method for the detection of the five most common kiwifruit viruses was established. The concentrations of Mg²⁺ and HS-Taq and the annealing temperature in the multiplex PCR system were optimized. The results indicate that the optimal annealing temperature was 56 °C; the optimal concentration of added Mg²⁺ was 2 mM; and the optimal concentration of HS-Taq was 1.0 U/μL. The stability of the optimized multiplex RT-PCR system was verified by field sample testing, and the results showed that the multiplex RT-PCR system was stable, efficient and reliable. This will provide much convenience for the detection of kiwifruit viruses in the future.

Based on our previous finding that polysaccharide peptide (PSP) has substantial antiviral activity, we cultured strawberry plants infected with strawberry mild yellow edge virus (SMYEV) or strawberry vein banding virus (SVBV) in Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with PSP to test its ability to eliminate these viruses. PSP not only improved the elimination of SMYEV and SVBV but also promoted the growth and rooting of strawberry plants in tissue culture. On the 45th day, the average height of the ‘Ningyu’ strawberry plants in the 1-mg/ml PSP treatment group was 1.91 cm, whereas that of the plants in the control group was 1.51 cm. After the same time point, the number of new leaves on the tissue culture media supplemented with 1 mg/ml and 500 μg/ml of PSP and without PSP were 4.92, 4.41, and 3.53, respectively. PSP also promoted strawberry rooting and significantly increased both the length and number of roots. In addition, after treatment with the 1-mg/ml PSP treatment in tissue culture for 45 days followed by meristem-shoot-tip culture, the elimination rates of SMYEV and SVBV in regenerated ‘Ningyu’ strawberry plants ranged from 60 to 100%. This study investigated the use of the antiviral agent PSP for virus elimination. PSP has a low production cost and thus has great application potential for virus elimination in crop plants.

Phytoplasmas are phloem‐restricted plant‐pathogenic bacteria transmitted by insects. They cause diseases in a wide range of host plants, resulting in significant economic and ecological losses worldwide. Research on phytoplasmas has a long history, with significant progress being made in the past 30 years. Notably, with the rapid development of phytoplasma research, scientists have identified the primary agents involved in phytoplasma transmission, established classification and detection systems for phytoplasmas, and 243 genomes have been sequenced and assembled completely or to draft quality. Multiple possible phytoplasma effectors have been investigated, elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which phytoplasmas manipulate their hosts. This review summarizes recent advances in phytoplasma research, including identification techniques, host range studies, whole‐ or draft‐genome sequencing, effector pathogenesis and disease control methods. Additionally, future research directions in the field of phytoplasma research are discussed.

In this study, methods of Actinidia chlorotic ringspot-associated virus (AcCRaV) elimination by shoot tip culture, thermotherapy followed by shoot tip culture, and chemotherapy followed by shoot tip culture were explored. The results showed that the AcCRaV elimination rate was 23.3% when the secondary shoot tip culture method was used and when the shoot tip length was less than 0.5 mm. The AcCRaV elimination rate was 100% when thermotherapy (36°C [day] and 32°C [night]) was applied for 20 days followed by shoot tip culture (shoot tip length less than 1.0 mm). When shoot segments were treated with ribavirin at 15 µg/ml for 2 months followed by shoot tip culture, the elimination rate of AcCRaV was 100% (shoot tip length less than 1.0 mm). When shoot segments were treated with ribavirin at 25 µg/ml for 2 months followed by shoot tip culture, the elimination rate of AcCRaV was 100% (shoot tip length less than 1.5 mm). This is the first report on kiwifruit virus elimination methods.