The C-terminal region of the movement protein of Cowpea mosaic virus is involved in binding to the large but not to the small coat protein.
Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) moves from cell to cell as virus particles which are translocated through a plasmodesmata-penetrating transport tubule made up of viral movement protein (MP) copies. To gain further insight into the roles of the viral MP and capsid proteins (CP) in virus movement, full-length and truncated forms of the MP were expressed in insect cells using the baculovirus expression system. Using ELISA and blot overlay assays, affinity purified MP was shown to bind specifically to intact CPMV virions and to the large CP, but not to the small CP. This binding was not observed with a C-terminal deletion mutant of the MP, although this mutant retained the capacity to bind to other MP molecules and to form tubules. These results suggest that the C-terminal 48 amino acids constitute the virion-binding domain of the MP.
Carvalho
C M
CM
Laboratory of Virology, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, Binnenhaven 11, 6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Wellink
J
J
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, Dreijenlaan 3, 6703 HA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Ribeiro
S G
SG
Laboratory of Virology, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, Binnenhaven 11, 6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Goldbach
R W
RW
Laboratory of Virology, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, Binnenhaven 11, 6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands.
van Lent
J W M
JWM
Laboratory of Virology, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, Binnenhaven 11, 6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands.
D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017798:Comovirus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D017353:Gene Deletion; D053830:Plant Viral Movement Proteins; D018411:Spodoptera; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D014771:Virion / Q000378:metabolism
D036022:Capsid Proteins; D053830:Plant Viral Movement Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins