Microtubules and viral movement

The spread of plant virus infection depends on specialized virus-encoded movement proteins (MP) that target plasmodesmata (PD) to facilitate viral movement from cell to cell. Cell biological studies have shown that the MP of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) accumulates in PD and also associates with membranes and the cytoskeleton during infection. Whereas the targeting of the protein to PD involves the endoplasmic reticulum– actin network, additional contacts with elements of the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton are implicated in the transport of viral RNA. This article provides an overview of recent and current findings that describe the interactions between MP and MT during early and late stages of TMV infection.