Significance of eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A in tobacco mosaic virus infection

Eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A (eEF1A) has been shown to interact with both the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and the 3′-terminal genomic RNA of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). In this study, we demonstrated that the down-regulation of eEF1A mRNA levels by virus-induced gene silencing using potato virus X vector dramatically reduced the accumulation of TMV RNA and the spread of TMV infection. The translation activity of the eEF1A-silenced Nicotiana benthamiana leaves was not severely affected. Collectively, these results suggest an essential role of eEF1A in TMV infection.