Cloning of the TuMV Genome and Analysis of Its Movement Protein

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The proposed planning activity will enable the applicant to prepare a cDNA library of the Turnip mosaic virus and develop viral mutants and probes as well as other reagents required for a longer term research plan directed toward establishing the gene sequence, the protein structure and the function of the turnip mosaic virus movement protein. Turnip mosaic virus is a member of an agriculturally important and widespread group of plant viruses. These viruses occur worldwide and infect all vegetable and ornamental plants of the mustard and cress family. These viruses are transmitted by many species of aphid. When viruses are inoculated onto host plants, either by a feeding insect or by an abrasion, the initial infection is limited to a single or few cells of the plant. In order for the virus to successfully infect the entire plant, movement from cell to cell is necessary. This movement involves the plasmodesmata, which are membrane-lined pores extending through the cell walls and connecting adjacent plant cells. A virus-encoded factor termed the "movement protein" is also required. The movement protein of another plant virus has been shown to increase the effective size of the channels between cells, and this is thought to facilitate movement of virus from cell to cell. The movement protein of turnip mosaic virus probably has a similar function. The wide- ranging turnip mosaic virus and its movement protein are excellent candidates for genetic manipulation for crop protection, but the molecular biology of this system also has the potential for providing new information on the biology of plant-virus interactions, the structure and function of the plasmodesmata and the molecular biology of plant virus replication. The goal of the proposed planning activity is to lay the experimental groundwork for determining the structure of the gene encoding the turnip mosaic virus movement protein and ultimately studying its function.