Citrus yellow mottle-associated virus (CiYMaV) belonging to the subgenus Mandarivirus within the genus Potexvirus, was first identified in 2018 from Pakistan (CiYMaV-PK), where it is endemic in several regions. Here, three full-length cDNA clones (pCiYMaV-FL-1, pCiYMaV-FL-18, and pCiYMaV-FL-22) corresponding to the genomic RNA of CiYMaV were constructed and then agroinfiltrated on Chandler pummelo (Citrus grandis) seedlings using the vacuum infiltration method. All the inoculated plants developed severe vein yellowing, leaf mottling, and dwarfing symptoms by 40 days post-infiltration (dpi). The results of a direct tissue blot immunoassay and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction detection showed 94.7–100% infection rates of pCiYMaV-FL at 60 dpi. Despite there being no observed difference among the three clones in the severity of symptom, pCiYMaV-FL-22 showed the highest accumulation levels of viral RNA and coat proteins. Moreover, pCiYMaV-FL-22 successfully infected seven other citrus varieties and induced symptoms in five of them. Transmission electron microscopy identified the presence of filamentous virus particles in extracts from systemic leaves of the plants infected with pCiYMaV-FL-22 at 6-months post-infiltration. Taken together, the results indicate that Koch’s postulates were fulfilled for CiYMaV in citrus plants. This is the first report of full-length infectious cDNA clones of CiYMaV, and thus, the data provide a basis for further study of the molecular mechanisms of virus infection and the development of a viral vector to express foreign genes in citrus plants.
Follistatin (FST) is an important regulator of skeletal muscle growth and adipose deposition through its ability to bind to several members of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily, and thus may be a good candidate for future animal breeding programs. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the phenotypic changes have yet to be clarified in pig. We generated transgenic (TG) pigs that express human FST specifically in skeletal muscle tissues and characterized the phenotypic changes compared with the same tissues in wild-type pigs. The TG pigs showed increased skeletal muscle growth, decreased adipose deposition, and improved metabolism status (P<0.05). Transcriptome analysis detected important roles of the PIK3–AKT signaling pathway, calcium-mediated signaling pathway, and amino acid metabolism pathway in FST-induced skeletal muscle hypertrophy, and depot-specific oxidative metabolism changes in psoas major muscle. Furthermore, the lipid metabolism-related process was changed in adipose tissue in the TG pigs. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that genes related to lipid synthesis, lipid catabolism, and lipid storage were down-regulated (P<0.01) in the TG pigs for subcutaneous fat, whereas genes related to lipid catabolism were significantly up-regulated (P<0.05) in the TG pigs for retroperitoneal fat compared with their expression levels in wild-type pigs. In liver, genes related to the TGF-β signaling pathway were over-represented in the TG pigs, which is consistent with the inhibitory role of FST in regulating TGF-β signaling. Together, these results provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the phenotypic changes in pig.