Coordinated and selective recruitment of eIF4E and eIF4G factors for potyvirus infection in Arabidopsis thaliana

The translation initiation factors eIF4E and eIF(iso)4E play a key role during virus infection in plants. During mRNA translation, eIF4E provides the cap‐binding function and is associated with the protein eIF4G to form the eIF4F complex. Susceptibility analyses of Arabidopsis mutants knocked‐out for At ‐ eIF4G genes showed that eIF4G factors are indispensable for potyvirus infection. The colonization pattern by a viral recombinant carrying GFP indicated that eIF4G is involved at a very early infection step. Like eIF4E, eIF4G isoforms are selectively recruited for infection. Moreover, the eIF4G selective involvement parallels eIF4E recruitment. This is the first report of a coordinated and selective recruitment of eIF4E and eIF4G factors, suggesting the whole eIF4F recruitment.