Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying potyvirus infection

Abstract

Potyviruses represent one of the most economically important and widely distributed groups of plant viruses. Despite considerable progress towards understanding the cellular and molecular basis of their pathogenicity, many questions remain about the mechanisms by which potyviruses suppress host defences and create an optimal intracellular environment for viral translation, replication, assembly and spread. The review focuses on the multifunctional roles of potyviral proteins and their interplay with various host factors in different compartments of the infected cell. We place special emphasis on the recently discovered and currently putative mechanisms by which potyviruses subvert the normal functions of different cellular organelles in order to establish an efficient and productive infection.