Jj. Weiland et Mc. Edwards, EVIDENCE THAT THE ALPHA-A GENE OF BARLEY STRIPE MOSAIC-VIRUS ENCODES DETERMINANTS OF PATHOGENICITY TO OAT (AVENA-SATIVA), Virology, 201(1), 1994, pp. 116-126
Complementary DNA clones from which infectious RNA can be transcribed
were used to map the genetic determinants for oat (Avena sativa L.) pa
thogenicity of barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV). Pseudorecombinant an
alysis of BSMV strains ND18 (nonpathogenic to oat) and CV42 (pathogeni
c to oat) indicated that the ability to systemically infect oat mapped
to RNA alpha. A homologous recombinant of ND18 (18 alpha TKTKIN), pos
sessing nucleotides 2218 to 2454 from CV42 RNA alpha, induced symptoms
on oat similar to those generated by wild-type CV42. Six amino acids
encoded by the alpha a gene differ between ND18 (PQSQTK) and CV42 (TKT
KIN) in this region. Fine structure recombinants that encoded subsets
of the six amino acid changes either were slow in their infection phon
otype (18 alpha TKTK and 18 alpha TQSQIN) relative to recombinant 18 a
lpha TKTKIN or were not infectious (18 alpha KTKIN and 18 alpha KTK) t
o inoculated oat plants. Neither coat protein antigen nor viral RNA wa
s detected in inoculated plants that did not display symptoms. All rec
ombinants infected isolated oat protoplasts, however, as determined by
Northern and Western blots of extracts from inoculated oat protoplast
s. The accumulation of viral genomic RNAs in protoplasts among the rec
ombinants tested was similar, except for that of recombinant 18 alpha
TKTK which was reduced by 30%. The data support an earlier suggestion
(Y. Zheng, and M. C. Edwards, 1990, J. Gen. Virol. 71, 1865-1868) that
resistance of oat to BSMV strain ND18 is due to restricted virus move
ment in planta and provide evidence that the cua protein itself may be
involved in the movement of BSMV in the infected plant. (C) 1994 Acad
emic Press, Inc.