Analysis of the viability of coat-protein hybrids between Cucumber mosaic virus and Tomato aspermy virus.
Coat-protein (CP) hybrids between Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and Tomato aspermy virus (TAV) were engineered to analyse reported CP-associated differences between these viruses. CP portions delimited by aa 1-59, 60-148 and 149-219 were exchanged in all possible combinations within TAV RNA3. The seven possible chimeras were able to replicate in tobacco protoplasts to similar levels, but only those having residues 1-59 or 60-148 from CMV were infectious to tobacco plants, a common host for CMV and TAV, and formed stable particles. When most of the movement protein (MP) of TAV was substituted for that of CMV, infectivity of CP hybrids did not vary. No hybrid was able to infect cucumber plants, a host for CMV and not for TAV. Need for MP-CP compatibility could explain these results, but shows that MP-CP compatibility conditions the use of CP chimeras to map CP-associated differences between CMV and TAV.
Llamas
Susana
S
Departamento de Biotecnología, ETSI Agrónomos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Moreno
Ignacio M
IM
Departamento de Biotecnología, ETSI Agrónomos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
García-Arenal
Fernando
F
Departamento de Biotecnología, ETSI Agrónomos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D017799:Cucumovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000821:virology; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000821:virology; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
D036022:Capsid Proteins; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins