Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2026
Authors
Yasinta Beda Nzogela Joseph Maosa Marjolein Couvreur Mdili Katemani Charles Gervas Beartha Nguku Nessie Luambano Beatrice Kashando Danny Coyne John T. Jones Solveig Haukeland James Price Wim BertAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Viroids are the smallest known nucleic acid‐based infectious agents of plants and consist of single‐stranded, circular, non‐coding RNAs that can cause significant crop diseases. The potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd), a model Pospiviroidae member, severely impacts Solanaceous hosts like potato and tomato, causing substantial yield reductions. Its 359‐nucleotide, rod‐like genome, with five functional domains, mediates nuclear replication, systemic movement via plasmodesmata and phloem, and evasion of host RNA silencing. High mutation rates generate diverse quasi‐species, enhancing adaptability. Recent multi‐omics studies reveal PSTVd reprogramming of host transcriptomes, epigenomes, and metabolomes, disrupting defence, hormone signalling, and photosynthesis. Within the plant holobiont, PSTVd modulates interactions with viruses, notably via RNA‐directed DNA methylation, and may affect rhizosphere microbial communities indirectly via changes in host physiology, an area that remains poorly resolved. This review synthesises advances in PSTVd structure, infection mechanisms, and holobiont interactions, highlighting its role in uncovering RNA‐mediated pathogenesis principles. Key knowledge gaps persist regarding host factors facilitating systemic spread and interactions with other organisms, such as microbial communities. Ongoing PSTVd research is essential to address this gap and guide strategies for viroid‐resistant crops and sustainable control.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
2025
Abstract
We report the successful cryopreservation of three economically important Rubus viruses: raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV), black raspberry necrosis virus (BRNV), and Rubus yellow net virus (RYNV), using shoot tip cryopreservation in four raspberry cultivars. Virus-infected shoot tips (approximately 1.0 mm in length) containing 3–4 leaf primordia (LPs) were cryopreserved using the droplet-vitrification technique. In the cultivars ‘Zlatá Královna (ZK)’ and ‘Tulameen (TUM)’, over 90% of shoot tips survived, and more than 90% regenerated into whole shoots. All three viruses were successfully preserved in the cryopreserved tissues, with recovery rates varying depending on virus type and cultivar: RBDV was recovered at rates of 86% in ‘ZK’ and 87% in ‘TUM’; BRNV at 66% in ‘ZK’ and 45% in ‘TUM’; and RYNV at 96%, 94%, and 86% in ‘Fairview’, ‘Stiora’, and ‘ZK’, respectively. To investigate viral localization in shoot tips, in situ hybridization was used. RBDV and RYNV infected a broad range of meristematic tissues, including the apical dome and LPs, whereas BRNV showed a more limited distribution. Virus distribution varied not only among virus species but also across raspberry cultivars, suggesting genotype-specific patterns of virus localization. Post-cryopreservation viral activity was verified using micrografting and aphid transmission assays. RBDV, BRNV, and RYNV were all successfully transmitted to healthy plants via micrografting, indicating the preservation of viral infectivity. Furthermore, BRNV was effectively transmitted by large raspberry aphids from cryopreserved materials, confirming vector-mediated transmission capacity post-thaw. Overall, this study demonstrates that shoot tip cryopreservation via droplet-vitrification is a reliable and effective strategy for preservation of biologically active Rubus viruses. This approach offers a valuable biotechnological tool for virus maintenance in support of diagnostic, breeding, and virology research.
Authors
Özgün Candan Onarman Umu Knut Espevig Simeon Rossmann Inger-Lise Akselsen Carl-Henrik Lensjø Alvin Marit Larssen SekseAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Özgün Candan Onarman UmuAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Jingwei Li Min-Rui Wang Zhibo Hamborg Dag-Ragnar Blystad Gayle Volk Jean Carlos Bettoni QiaoChun WangAbstract
Rapid population growth poses a major challenge to global food security. Promoting sustainable agricultural production is necessary to ensure the global food security. Horticultural plants are a high-valued part in agricultural production. Virus and viroid diseases have long been a key factor limiting the horticultural production. Cultivation and distribution of pathogen-free plants is currently the most efficient practice for managing virus and viroid diseases, and their spread in the landscape. Cryotherapy-based methods are recently developed novel biotechnologies for the efficient production of pathogen-free plants. This review outlines updated information on the development and advances in cryotherapy-based methods for efficiently eradicating viruses and viroids in horticultural plants. Mechanisms underlining cryotherapy-based methods for improved pathogen eradication are discussed, and suggestions for further studies are proposed.
Authors
Jiunn Luh Tan Igor Koloniuk Ondřej Lenz Jana Veselá Jaroslava Přibylová Rostislav Zemek Josef Špak Radek Čmejla Jiří Sedlák Dag-Ragnar Blystad Zhibo Hamborg Jana FránováAbstract
Although global raspberries production has grown in the past decade, it remains threatened by plant viruses. This study surveyed raspberry viruses and associated arthropods in the Czech Republic between 2021 and 2022 across five regions. A total of 257 plant and 151 arthropod samples were tested using RT-(q)PCR for 12 viruses listed in the EPPO Certification scheme, plus raspberry leaf blotch virus (RLBV) and a novel virus, tentatively named raspberry-associated virus A (RaVA). Raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV) was most prevalent (51.8%), followed by black raspberry necrosis virus (BRNV, 42.0%) and raspberry leaf mottle virus (RLMV, 28.4%). Four viruses—arabis mosaic virus, apple mosaic virus, strawberry latent ringspot virus, raspberry ringspot virus—were not detected. RBDV was also identified in Sambucus nigra, a new host, while mixed RLBV and RaVA infection was found in wild Rubus occidentalis. RLBV was experimentally transmitted to Nicotiana occidentalis 37B in the presence of Phyllocoptes gracilis. Seven of 39 arthropod species carried viruses, but only two—Amphorophora rubi idaei and Aphis idaei—are known vectors. PCR amplicons from 92 isolates were sequenced, revealing high variability in several viruses. These findings offer new insights but highlight the need for continued monitoring and research.
Authors
Marius Filomeno Maurstad Iris Bea Ramiro Jan Philip Øyen Andy Sombke Sebastian Büsse Pedro Gabriel Nachtigall Kjetill Sigurd Jakobsen Eivind Andreas Baste UndheimAbstract
Abstract Venom has independently evolved across many lineages, yet relatively few have been studied in detail, particularly among insects. Of these, Neuroptera (lacewings, antlions and relatives) remain largely unexplored, despite being widespread with agriculturally important groups such as green lacewings. While adults are non-venomous, neuropteran larvae are ferocious predators that use pincer-like mouthparts to inject paralysing and liquefying venom to subdue and consume their prey. Here, we provide a comprehensive investigation of the venom system in Neuroptera by integrating a high-quality genome, long-read transcriptomes spanning all life stages, microCT-reconstruction of venom glands, tissue-specific expression analyses, venom proteomics, and functional assays of the common green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea. We provide a re-description of the neuropteran venom system, demonstrate the venom’s insecticidal and cytotoxic activity, and show the venom comprises diverse toxin gene families and is richer and more similar to the venom of antlions than previously proposed. We show that this toxin arsenal is the result of a multitude of evolutionary events that include co-option, recruitment following gene duplication, diversification of toxin-paralogs by gene duplication, and functional innovation of new paralogs through both small structural and large architectural changes. In addition, we find that alternative splicing of toxin genes is an important contributor to the biochemical arsenal, which is a mechanism rarely documented among venomous animals. Our results demonstrate how multiple genomic and evolutionary mechanisms together contribute to the emergence and evolution of a complex molecular trait, and provide new insights into the evolution of venom in insects.
Authors
Zhibo HamborgAbstract
No abstract has been registered