Current Activity Profile -- Fernando García-Arenal

The Plant Virus Group at Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain, lead by Prof. Fernando García-Arenal, has had an interest in Virus Evolution since its start in 1984. During the last 20 years its contributions to understanding the factors that determine plant virus evolution and that shape the genetic structure of plant virus populations have been widely acknowledged. Among the recent contributions to understand these factors we could list the estimation of mutation rates for plant RNA viruses, the estimation of reassortant and recombinant frequencies in plant virus populations and the analysis of the role of genetic exchange in plant virus evolution, the estimation of effective population sizes, or the factors that determine the evolution of virulence in plant viruses.

In the more recent times we have undertaken the analysis of various aspects of plant virus ecology, which are necessary in order to better understand the evolutionary factors acting on plant virus populations. Hence, in addition to pursuing classical work on quantitative epidemiology of virus infection in crops and in wild plants, we are currently addressing more ecologically-oriented goals. Current research is oriented within two major objectives. The first one is the analysis of the ecology and evolution of generalist pathogens, the second one is the role of pathogen infection in the population dynamics of its hosts. Specific interests are:

• the analysis of among-host distribution of multihost plant viruses (i.e. generalist pathogens) and its effect in shaping the genetic structure of the virus population,
• the analysis of host-adaptation and host-specialisation in multihost plant viruses, and the involvement trade-offs;
• the relationship between host adaptation, virus epidemiology in the virus' multiple hosts and identification of reservoir populations for target hosts,
• the relationship between fitness and virulence in plant viruses,
• the effect of plant virus infection in the population dynamics of their wild hosts. Some of these objectives have been in progress for the last few years and have already resulted in publications in well-reputed journals.

The proposed Research Coordination Network would potentially have a big impact in the field of virus ecology and evolution, with important consequences for developing strategies for the management of plant virus diseases. Within my own region, i.e. the European Union (EU), the existence of such a network will contribute to the awareness of the need to put new research efforts in virus ecology, a most neglected area since the advent of molecular virology in the 1980s. It is to be stressed that a Co-ordination Action on the Use of Genetic Resistance as a tool to control Plant Pathogenic Viruses exists in the EU, in which our laboratory, together with most European laboratories involved in pant virus research, is included. This co-ordination action could provide a link with the proposed RCN, which could greatly increase future synergies.

Selected Recent Publications

Bonnet, J., Fraile, A., Sacristán, S., Malpica, J.M. and Garcia-Arenal, F., 2005. Role of recombination in the evolution of natural populations of Cucumber mosaic virus, a tripartite RNA plant virus. Virology 332, 359-368.

Escriu, F., Fraile, A., García-Arenal, F.. 2003. The evolution of virulence in a plant virus. Evolution 57, 755-765.

García-Arenal, F., Fraile, A. and Malpica, J.M., 2001. Variability and genetic structure of plant virus populations. Annual Review of Phytopathology, 157-186.

Malpica, J.M., Fraile, A., Moreno, I., Obies, C.I., Drake, J.W. and Garcia-Arenal, F., 2002. The rate and character of spontaneous mutation in an RNA virus 162, 1505-1511.

Sacristán, S., Fraile, A. and Garcia-Arenal, F., 2004. Population dynamics of Cucumber mosaic virus in melon crops and in weeds in central Spain. Phytopathology 94, 992-998.

Sacristán, S., Fraile, A., Malpica, J.M. and Garcia-Arenal, F., 2005. An analysis of host adaptation and its relationship with virulence in Cucumber mosaic virus. Phytopathology 95, 827-833.

Sacristán, S., Malpica, J.M., Fraile, A., García-Arenal, F. 2003. Estimation of population bottlenecks during systemic movement of Tobacco mosaic virus in tobacco plants. J. Virol., 77:9906-9911.