Plant Virus Biotechnology

IBMCP (CSIC-Universitat Politècnica de València)

Plants host a large variety of infectious agents that frequently damage crops and natural ecosystems. The goal of our research group is to understand the interaction between plants and some of these pathogens, such as viruses and viroids, at the molecular level. From this knowledge, we aim to develop new biotechnological strategies for crop protection and innovation. In addition, based on the remarkable biological properties of plant viruses and viroids, we believe that these infectious agents can be repurposed into useful biotechnological tools. Our goal is also to develop synthetic systems to produce recombinant proteins, nanoparticles, metabolites and recombinant RNAs of interest in plants using conveniently engineered viruses and viroids. We envision a future in which cultivated plants will be the most reliable and sustainable source of food, feed, fibers, fuel, and pharmaceutical and chemical products for human kind.

More specifically, some of our ongoing projects aim to:

1. Develop virus-based expression vectors to facilitate CRISPR-Cas genome editing in plants. See Uranga et al. 2024 Hortic. Res. or Aragonés et al. 2022 Biotechnol. J.

2. Produce virus-derived nanoparticles decorated with molecules of interest, such as antibodies, in biofactory plants. See Lozano-Sanchez et al. 2024 ACS Nano or Merwaiss et al. 2023 Plant Biotechnol. J.

3. Produce recombinant double-stranded RNA for crop protection against pests and pathogens. See Ortolá et al. 2024 Pest Manag. Sci. or Ortolá et al. 2021 RNA Biol.

4. Develop viral vectors to produce recombinant proteins in plants. See Talens-Perales et al. 2023 Curr. Res. Biotechnol. or Talens-Perales et al. 2022 Sci. Rep.

5. Produce metabolically fortified plants and fruits using viral vectors. See Houhou et al. 2022 Biotechnol. J. or Martí et al. 2020 Metab. Eng.

6. Decipher how viruses and viroid RNAs are able to replicate, overcome defenses and move systemically through the host plants. See Ortolá & Daròs 2022 Biology.

Our group is part of the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP), a joint center between Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV).