Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to plum pox virus and their use in differentiation of Mediterranean isolates

Characterization of sour cherry isolates of plum pox virus from the Volga Basin in Russia reveals a new cherry strain of the virus

Plum pox virus (PPV) is the causal agent of sharka, the most detrimental virus disease of stone fruit trees worldwide. PPV isolates have been assigned into seven distinct strains, of which PPV-C regroups the genetically distinct isolates detected in several European countries on cherry hosts. Here, three complete and several partial genomic sequences of PPV isolates from sour cherry trees in the Volga River basin of Russia have been determined. The comparison of complete genome sequences has shown that the nucleotide identity values with other PPV isolates reached only 77.5 to 83.5%. Phylogenetic analyses clearly assigned the RU-17sc, RU-18sc, and RU-30sc isolates from cherry to a distinct cluster, most closely related to PPV-C and, to a lesser extent, PPV-W. Based on their natural infection of sour cherry trees and genomic characterization, the PPV isolates reported here represent a new strain of PPV, for which the name PPV-CR (Cherry Russia) is proposed. The unique amino acids conserved among PPV-CR and PPV-C cherry-infecting isolates (75 in total) are mostly distributed within the central part of P1, NIa, and the N terminus of the coat protein (CP), making them potential candidates for genetic determinants of the ability to infect cherry species or of adaptation to these hosts. The variability observed within 14 PPV-CR isolates analyzed in this study (0 to 2.6% nucleotide divergence in partial CP sequences) and the identification of these isolates in different localities and cultivation conditions suggest the efficient establishment and competitiveness of the PPV-CR in the environment. A specific primer pair has been developed, allowing the specific reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction detection of PPV-CR isolates.

Sharka: the past, the present and the future

Members the Potyviridae family belong to a group of plant viruses that are causing devastating plant diseases with a significant impact on agronomy and economics. Plum pox virus (PPV), as a causative agent of sharka disease, is widely discussed. The understanding of the molecular biology of potyviruses including PPV and the function of individual proteins as products of genome expression are quite necessary for the proposal the new antiviral strategies. This review brings to view the members of Potyviridae family with respect to plum pox virus. The genome of potyviruses is discussed with respect to protein products of its expression and their function. Plum pox virus distribution, genome organization, transmission and biochemical changes in infected plants are introduced. In addition, techniques used in PPV detection are accentuated and discussed, especially with respect to new modern techniques of nucleic acids isolation, based on the nanotechnological approach. Finally, perspectives on the future of possibilities for nanotechnology application in PPV determination/identification are outlined.

Analysis of the epitope structure of Plum pox virus coat protein

Typing of the particular Plum pox virus (PPV) strain responsible in an outbreak has important practical implications and is frequently performed using strain-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Analysis in Western blots of the reactivity of 24 MAbs to a 112-amino-acid N-terminal fragment of the PPV coat protein (CP) expressed in Escherichia coli showed that 21 of the 24 MAbs recognized linear or denaturation-insensitive epitopes. A series of eight C-truncated CP fragments allowed the mapping of the epitopes recognized by the MAbs. In all, 14 of them reacted to the N-terminal hypervariable region, defining a minimum of six epitopes, while 7 reacted to the beginning of the core region, defining a minimum of three epitopes. Sequence comparisons allowed the more precise positioning of regions recognized by several MAbs, including those recognized by the 5B-IVIA universal MAb (amino acids 94 to 100) and by the 4DG5 and 4DG11 D serogroup-specific MAbs (amino acids 43 to 64). A similar approach coupled with infectious cDNA clone mutagenesis showed that a V74T mutation in the N-terminus of the CP abolished the binding of the M serogroup-specific AL MAb. Taken together, these results provide a detailed positioning of the epitopes recognized by the most widely used PPV detection and typing MAbs.

Field Trials of Plum Clones Transformed with the Plum pox virus Coat Protein (PPV-CP) Gene

Transgenic clones C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, and PT-6, of plum (Prunus domestica L.) transformed with the coat protein (CP) gene of Plum pox virus (PPV), PT-23 transformed with marker genes only, and nontransgenic B70146 were evaluated for sharka resistance under high infection pressure in field trials in Poland and Spain. These sites differed in climatic conditions and virus isolates. Transgenic clone C5 showed high resistance to PPV at both sites. None of the C5 trees became naturally infected by aphids during seven (Spain) or eight (Poland) years of the test, although up to 100% of other plum trees (transgenic clones and nontransgenic control plants) grown in the same conditions showed disease symptoms and tested positively for PPV. Although highly resistant, C5 trees could be infected artificially by chip budding or via susceptible rootstock. Infected C5 trees showed only a few mild symptoms on single, isolated shoots, even up to 8 years post inoculation. These results clearly indicate the long-term nature and high level of resistance to PPV obtained through genetically engineered resistance.

Resistance of Transgenic Prunus domestica to Plum Pox Virus Infection

Transgenic plum trees (Prunus domestica) containing the plum pox potyvirus coat protein (PPV-CP) gene were inoculated with PPV by aphid feeding or chip budding. Infection was monitored by evaluation of virus symptoms, DAS-ELISA, and immunoblot assays. Based on observations and analyses over 3 years including two dormancy cycles, one out of five transgenic clones (C-5), was found to be resistant to infection whether inoculated by aphids or by chip budding. PPV could not be detected in any inoculated plants of the C-5 clone by immunoblot or immunocap-ture-reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assays. To our knowledge, this is the first P. domestica clone resistant to PPV infection produced by genetic engineering.