Systemic Propagation of a Fluorescent Infectious Clone of a Polerovirus Following Inoculation by Agrobacteria and Aphids

Viruses. 2017 Jun 29;9(7):166. doi: 10.3390/v9070166.

Abstract

A fluorescent viral clone of the polerovirus Turnip yellows virus (TuYV) was engineered by introducing the Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (EGFP) sequence into the non-structural domain sequence of the readthrough protein, a minor capsid protein. The resulting recombinant virus, referred to as TuYV-RTGFP, was infectious in several plant species when delivered by agroinoculation and invaded efficiently non-inoculated leaves. As expected for poleroviruses, which infect only phloem cells, the fluorescence emitted by TuYV-RTGFP was restricted to the vasculature of infected plants. In addition, TuYV-RTGFP was aphid transmissible and enabled the observation of the initial sites of infection in the phloem after aphid probing in epidermal cells. The aphid-transmitted virus moved efficiently to leaves distant from the inoculation sites and importantly retained the EGFP sequence in the viral genome. This work reports on the first engineered member in the Luteoviridae family that can be visualized by fluorescence emission in systemic leaves of different plant species after agroinoculation or aphid transmission.

Keywords: aphid transmission; fluorescent clone; polerovirus; systemic infection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Agrobacterium / genetics
  • Animals
  • Aphids / virology
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / analysis*
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • Insect Vectors / virology
  • Luteoviridae / genetics
  • Luteoviridae / growth & development*
  • Plant Diseases / virology*
  • Plants / virology
  • Recombinant Proteins / analysis
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Staining and Labeling / methods*
  • Transformation, Genetic
  • Viral Proteins / genetics

Substances

  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Viral Proteins
  • enhanced green fluorescent protein
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins