Plant-Virus Interactions

Mäkinen Lab

Plant viral diseases are a global and growing problem. Potyviruses are the largest genus of RNA viruses in plants. We are interested in molecular elucidation of the different stages of potyvirus infection and how the viral processes are localized and coordinated within the infected cells. Host plant proteins act in potato virus A (PVA) infection either for or against the progression of the infection. Genes encoding pro-viral host factors are called susceptibility genes. The identification and functional characterization of such factors with the ultimate goal to create virus resistance with a loss-of-susceptibility approach is the main aim of our research.

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