title: A Population Genetics Perspective on Geminivirus Infection.
abstract: The selective accumulation of both DNA components of a bipartite geminivirus, Abutilon mosaic virus, was recorded during early systemic infection of Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Purified nuclei were diagnosed for viral DNA using hybridization specific for DNA A or DNA B to detect these individual genome components either alone or both simultaneously by dual-color staining. Although this virus needs both components for symptomatic infection, DNA A alone was transported to upper leaves, where it was imported into phloem nuclei and replicated autonomously. The coinfection with DNA A and DNA B revealed an independent spread of both molecules, which resulted in a stochastic distribution of DNA A- and DNA A/B-infected nuclei. A population genetics evaluation of the respective frequencies was compared to a model computation. This elucidated a surprisingly simple relationship between the initial frequencies of the viral DNA components and the number of susceptible cells during the course of early systemic infection.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  For bipartite begomoviruses, DNA B-independent long-distance spread of DNA A has been described before, but it has never been shown whether viral DNA A alone invades nuclei of systemic tissues and replicates therein. This is demonstrated now for the first time. During infection with DNA A and DNA B, a similar solitary spread of DNA A can be recognized at early stages. We describe a population genetics model of how the hit probabilities of DNA A and DNA B for susceptible cells determine the relative frequencies of either genome component during the course of infection.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems, Department of Molecular Biology and Plant Virology, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weigel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems, Department of Molecular Biology and Plant Virology, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Pohl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems, Department of Molecular Biology and Plant Virology, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wege
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems, Department of Molecular Biology and Plant Virology, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany holger.jeske@bio.uni-stuttgart.de.
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jeske
mesh_terms: D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000821:virology*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017791:Geminiviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D005828:Genetics, Population; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008957:Models, Genetic; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000166:cytology / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral