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Nematode migration, feeding site formation, withdrawal of plant assimilates, and activation of plant defence responses have a significant impact on plant growth and development. Plants display intraspecific variation in tolerance limits for root-feeding nematodes. Although disease tolerance has been recognized as a distinct trait in biotic interactions of mainly crops, we lack mechanistic insights. Progress is hampered by difficulties in quantification and laborious screening methods. We turned to the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, since it offers extensive resources to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying nematode–plant interactions. Through imaging of tolerance-related parameters, the green canopy area was identified as an accessible and robust measure for assessing damage due to cyst nematode infection. Subsequently, a high-throughput phenotyping platform simultaneously measuring the green canopy area growth of 960 A. thaliana plants was developed. This platform can accurately measure cyst nematode and root-knot nematode tolerance limits in A. thaliana through classical modelling approaches. Furthermore, real-time monitoring provided data for a novel view of tolerance, identifying a compensatory growth response. These findings show that our phenotyping platform will enable a new mechanistic understanding of tolerance to below-ground biotic stress.

To identify host factors for tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV), a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) screen using tobacco rattle virus (TRV) was performed on Nicotiana benthamiana for TSWV susceptibility. To rule out any negative effect on the plants’ performance due to a double viral infection, the method was optimized to allow screening of hundreds of clones in a standardized fashion. To normalize the results obtained in and between experiments, a set of controls was developed to evaluate in a consist manner both VIGS efficacy and the level of TSWV resistance. Using this method, 4532 random clones of an N. benthamiana cDNA library were tested, resulting in five TRV clones that provided nearly complete resistance against TSWV. Here we report on one of these clones, of which the insert targets a small gene family coding for the ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6) that is part of the 40S ribosomal subunit. This RPS6 family is represented by three gene clades in the genome of Solanaceae family members, which were jointly important for TSWV susceptibility. Interestingly, RPS6 is a known host factor implicated in the replication of different plant RNA viruses, including the negative-stranded TSWV and the positive-stranded potato virus X.

Vaccines pave the way out of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Besides mRNA and adenoviral vector vaccines, effective protein-based vaccines are needed for immunization against current and emerging variants. We have developed a virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccine using the baculovirus-insect cell expression system, a robust production platform known for its scalability, low cost, and safety. Baculoviruses were constructed encoding SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins: full-length S, stabilized secreted S, or the S1 domain. Since subunit S only partially protected mice from SARS-CoV-2 challenge, we produced S1 for conjugation to bacteriophage AP205 VLP nanoparticles using tag/catcher technology. The S1 yield in an insect-cell bioreactor was ∼11 mg/liter, and authentic protein folding, efficient glycosylation, partial trimerization, and ACE2 receptor binding was confirmed. Prime-boost immunization of mice with 0.5 μg S1-VLPs showed potent neutralizing antibody responses against Wuhan and UK/B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variants. This two-component nanoparticle vaccine can now be further developed to help alleviate the burden of COVID-19. IMPORTANCE Vaccination is essential to reduce disease severity and limit the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Protein-based vaccines are useful to vaccinate the world population and to boost immunity against emerging variants. Their safety profiles, production costs, and vaccine storage temperatures are advantageous compared to mRNA and adenovirus vector vaccines. Here, we use the versatile and scalable baculovirus expression vector system to generate a two-component nanoparticle vaccine to induce potent neutralizing antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants. These nanoparticle vaccines can be quickly adapted as boosters by simply updating the antigen component.

The tripartite genome of the negative-stranded RNA virus Tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV) is assembled, together with two viral proteins, the nucleocapsid protein and the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, into infectious ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs). These two viral proteins are, together, essential for viral replication and transcription, yet our knowledge on the host factors supporting these two processes remains limited. To fill this knowledge gap, the protein composition of viral RNPs collected from TSWV-infected Nicotiana benthamiana plants, and of those collected from a reconstituted TSWV replicon system in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was analysed. RNPs obtained from infected plant material were enriched for plant proteins implicated in (i) sugar and phosphate transport and (ii) responses to cellular stress. In contrast, the yeast-derived viral RNPs primarily contained proteins implicated in RNA processing and ribosome biogenesis. The latter suggests that, in yeast, the translational machinery is recruited to these viral RNPs. To examine whether one of these cellular proteins is important for a TSWV infection, the corresponding N. benthamiana genes were targeted for virus-induced gene silencing, and these plants were subsequently challenged with TSWV. This approach revealed four host factors that are important for systemic spread of TSWV and disease symptom development.