The Sw5a gene confers resistance to ToLCNDV and triggers an HR response after direct AC4 effector recognition
Namisha Sharma, Pranav Pankaj Sahu, Ashish Prasad, Mehanathan Muthamilarasan, Mohd Waseem, Yusuf Khan, Jitendra K. Thakur, Supriya Chakraborty, Manoj Prasad
Abstract
Significance Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) infection causes severe losses in tomato yield worldwide. Lack of information on resistance ( R ) genes against ToLCNDV has considerably retarded the pace of crop improvement against this rapidly spreading pathogen. Here, we report an effective defense strategy deployed by a resistant tomato cultivar against ToLCNDV. It employs Sw5a (R gene) that recognizes AC4 protein (viral effector) of ToLCNDV to restrict virus spread. At the transcriptional level, the sly-miR159-SlMyb33 module has been identified as governing gene expression of Sw5a. Thus, we provide a mechanistic insight into sly-miR159-SlMyb33–controlled Sw5a-mediated defense response in tomato against ToLCNDV. These findings could be translated into development of resistance in susceptible cultivars of tomato through modern breeding or molecular approaches.