Relative quantification of host gene expression and protein accumulation upon turnip mosaic potyvirus infection in tobacco

Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) infects a variety of crops, worldwide, including the economically relevant Brassicacea family. It was previously demonstrated that TuMV infection in tobacco protoplasts leads to an overall decrease of host protein. However, it remains unclear whether this phenomenon is due to the repression of plant gene transcription during the infection period or due to viral inhibition of host translation. In this study, quantification of various transcripts and protein products from infected tobacco was performed via real-time RT-PCR and ELISA. In comparison to the gamma-tubulin endogenous control, gene expression for the tobacco H3, HSP70 and granule-bound starch synthase was affected by TuMV infection with time.Tobacco protein accumulation in whole leaf tissues was also significantly affected by increase of virus particles