Objectives
This project proposes to study the biodiversity and role
of EPRVs in plant germplasm (WP I), the mechanisms of their interactions
with plant or viral genomes (WP II), the associated risks in pathogenesis
(WP III), and their potential to confer virus resistance (WP IV), in order
to develop appropriate risk assessment strategies for the control of pathogenic
EPRV sequences in crop relevant to European agricultures. |
Activities
Experimental approaches developed in the frame of this
project will lead to (i) the analysis of the evolutionary role of EPRVs
in plant biodiversity, (ii) the precise evaluation of their potential
risks for crops relevant to European agriculture, (iii) the development
of strategies aimed at minimising or eliminating such risks and (iv) a
wide accession to such strategies to plant breeders.
To address these concerns, the PARADIGM project has been
divided into 4 scientific workpackages (see table 1) aimed at answering
clearly defined questions:
- What is the exact extent and biodiversity of EPRVs within plant
germplasms? (WP I)
- What are the mechanisms of movement of viral sequences into and
out of the plant genomes? (WP II)
- What are the interactions between EPRVs and plant genomes? (WP
III)
- What is the role of, and risk related to, EPRVs in pathogenesis?
(WP IV)
The research will be primarily based on comparative studies
of natural EPRV pathosystem models which themselves have an impact on
EU agriculture (BSV/banana, TVCV/tobacco, PVCV/petunia), an artificial
one (CaMV/Arabidopsis thaliana) and four potentially pathogenic EPRV systems
[pararetrovirus-like elements of tobacco (NtEPRV), tomato (LeEPRV), potato
(StEPRV) or pepper (CaEPRV) and their respective hosts.
Data generated and tools developed in the frame of each
workpackage will be transferred at an industrial scale in the frame of
WP V, in which all partners of the project will take part. |
Expected outcomes
The ultimate goals include designing tools for the control
of deleterious EPRVs, strategies applicable to the control of diseases
associated with such sequences, and providing the scientific community
with a much-needed EPRV in vitro activation system. Since the assessment
of the potentially infectious status resulting from the presence of EPRVs
in genitors used in breeding programs is vital. Strategies designed in
the frame of this project will be validated at an industrial scale.
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