Degradome analysis of PSTVd-infected tomato and N.benthamiana plants. Degradome analysis in PSTVd-infected plants

We applied a degradome approach to identified all host mRNAs targeted for cleavage by PSTVd-derived small RNAs via RNA silencing in tomato (cv. Rutgers) and Nicotiana benthamiana plants. To this aim a total of six libraries of small RNAs and six degradome libraries were constructed from two biological replicates of PSTVd-infected (variant NB) and two mock-inoculated tomato plants, and from one PSTVd NB-infected and one mock-inoculated N. benthamiana plant. The inoculated tomato and N. benthamiana seedlings were analyzed four weeks post-inoculation (wpi), when typical symptoms were established in infected plants.