Potato mop-top virus (PMTV) produces a defective
RNA (
D RNA) encompassing the 5'-terminal 479
nucleotides (nt) and 3'-terminal 372 nt of
RNA-TGB (where TGB is triple gene block). The mechanism that controls
D RNA biogenesis and the role of
D RNA in virus accumulation was investigated by introducing deletions, insertions, and point mutations into the sequences of the open reading frames (ORFs) of TGB1 and the 8-kilodalton (8K)
protein that were identified as required for efficient production of the
D RNA. Transient expression of
RNA-TGB in the absence of
RNA-Rep (which encodes the replicase) did not result in accumulation of
D RNA, indicating that its production is dependent on PMTV replication. The
D RNA could be eliminated by disrupting a predicted minus-strand stem-loop structure comprising complementary sequences of the 5' TGB1 ORF and the 3' 8K ORF, suggesting intramolecular template switching during positive-strand synthesis as a mechanism for the
D RNA biogenesis. Virus accumulation was reduced when the 8K ORF was disrupted but
D RNA was produced. Conversely, the virus accumulated at higher titers when the 8K ORF was intact and
D RNA production was blocked. These data demonstrate that the
D RNA interferes with
virus infection and therefore should be referred to as a defective interfering
RNA (DI
RNA). The 8K
protein was shown to be a weak silencing suppressor. This study provides an example of the interplay between a pathogen and its molecular parasite where virus accumulation was differentially regulated by the 8K
protein and DI
RNA, indicating that they play antagonistic roles and suggesting a mechanism by which the virus can attenuate replication, decreasing viral load and thereby enhancing its efficiency as a parasite.