A chimeric plum pox virus shows reduced spread and cannot compete with its parental wild-type viruses in a mixed infection.
The effect of a recombination event in the genomic 3' end on the biological properties and competitiveness of plum pox virus (PPV) was investigated. Therefore, a fragment spanning the coat protein (CP) coding region and a part of the 3' non-translated region of a non-aphid-transmissible strain of PPV (PPV-NAT) was replaced by the corresponding region of a PPV sour cherry isolate (PPV-SoC). The resulting chimera (PPV-NAT/SoC) caused severe symptoms in Nicotiana benthamiana, resembling those of PPV-NAT. In mixed infections with either of the parental viruses, the chimera PPV-NAT/SoC was less competitive. Labelling experiments with DsRed showed that PPV-NAT/SoC (PPV-NAT/SoC-red) moved more slowly from cell to cell than PPV-NAT (PPV-NAT-red). In mixed infections of PPV-NAT/SoC-red with a green fluorescent protein-expressing PPV-NAT (PPV-NAT-AgfpS), spatial separation of the viruses was observed. These data suggest that, in PPV infections, symptom severity and competitiveness are independent aspects and that spatial separation may contribute to the displacement of a recombinant virus.
Dietrich
Christof
C
German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Plant Virus Division, Inhoffenstr. 7b, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
Al Abdallah
Qusai
Q
Institute of Plant Diseases and Plant Protection, University of Hannover, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany.
Lintl
Lara
L
German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Plant Virus Division, Inhoffenstr. 7b, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
Pietruszka
Agnes
A
German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Plant Virus Division, Inhoffenstr. 7b, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
Maiss
Edgar
E
Institute of Plant Diseases and Plant Protection, University of Hannover, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany.
D009189:Avian Myeloblastosis Virus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D002678:Chimera / Q000821:virology*; D017931:DNA Primers; D016679:Genome, Viral; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D017801:Plum Pox Virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity; D012328:RNA Viruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D017931:DNA Primers; D014764:Viral Proteins; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase