The coat protein (CP) of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is essential for viral movement within plants and transmission by insect vectors. To elucidate plant-TYLCV interactions, this study aimed to identify host proteins that bind to TYLCV CP. Transient overexpression of CP combined with transcriptome analysis revealed significant differential gene expression in CP-overexpressing plants compared to wild-type plants following infection. Using co-immunoprecipitation along with bimolecular fluorescence complementation and luciferase complementation assays, we found that the salicylic acid-induced protein kinase NbSIPK specifically interacts with TYLCV CP. Functional experiments showed that overexpression of NbSIPK inhibits TYLCV infection, whereas CRISPR/Cas9 knockout or VIGS-mediated silencing of NbSIPK enhances viral infectivity. These results uncover a novel role of NbSIPK in conferring resistance against TYLCV, providing insights into plant defense mechanisms and potential strategies for developing resistance against geminiviruses.
Li et al. (Fri,) studied this question.