Induction of necrosis symptoms by potato virus X in AGO2-silenced tomato plants associates with reduced transcript accumulation of copper chaperon for superoxide dismutase gene

RNA silencing is a prominent antiviral defense mechanism in plants. When infected with a virus, RNA silencing–deficient plants tend to show exacerbated symptoms along with increased virus accumulation. However, how symptoms are exacerbated is little understood. Here, we investigated the role of the copper chaperon for superoxide dismutase (CCS) 1, in systemic necrosis observed in Argonaute (AGO)2-silenced tomato plants infected with potato virus X (PVX). While infection with the UK3 strain of PVX induced mosaic symptoms in tomato plants, systemic necrosis occurred when AGO2 was silenced. The CCS1 mRNA level was reduced and micro RNA398 (miR398), which potentially target CCS1, was increased in AGO2-knockdown tomato plants infected with PVX-UK3. Ectopic expression of CCS1 using recombinant PVX attenuated necrosis, suggesting that CCS1 alleviates systemic necrosis by activating superoxide dismutases to scavenge reactive oxygen species. Previous reports have indicated a decrease in the levels of CCS1 and superoxide dismutases along with an increased level of miR398 in plants infected with other viruses and viroids, and thus might represent shared regulatory mechanisms that exacerbate symptoms in these plants.