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Resistance to viruses based on eIF4E: from natural variation to edited genes
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Edité par CCSD -
International audience. eIF4E translation initiation factors have emerged as major susceptibility factors for RNA viruses. Natural eIF4E-based resistance alleles are found in many species and are mostly variants that maintain the translation function of the protein. eIF4E genes represent therefore targets for engineering viral resistance, and gene-editing technologies can be used to make up for the lack of natural resistance alleles in some crops. However, redundancy among eIF4E genes can restrict the efficient use of knockout alleles in breeding. Using Arabidopsis and Tomato, we show how gene-editing technologies can be used to design de novo functional alleles, using knowledge about the natural evolution of eIF4E genes in different species, to drive resistance to viruses without affecting plant physiology. We will show that there is a trade-off to find between resistance and functionality, and discuss these results in the light of resistance durability.