P42 movement protein of Beet necrotic yellow vein virus is targeted by the movement proteins P13 and P15 to punctate bodies associated with plasmodesmata.

Cell-to-cell movement of Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) is driven by a set of three movement proteins--P42, P13, and P15--organized into a triple gene block (TGB) on viral RNA 2. The first TGB protein, P42, has been fused to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and fusion proteins between P42 and GFP were expressed from a BNYVV RNA 3-based replicon during virus infection. GFP-P42, in which the GFP was fused to the P42 N terminus, could drive viral cell-to-cell movement when the copy of the P42 gene on RNA 2 was disabled but the C-terminal fusion P42-GFP could not. Confocal microscopy of epidermal cells of Chenopodium quinoa near the leading edge of the infection revealed that GFP-P42 localized to punctate bodies apposed to the cell wall whereas free GFP, expressed from the replicon, was distributed uniformly throughout the cytoplasm. The punctate bodies sometimes appeared to traverse the cell wall or to form pairs of disconnected bodies on each side. The punctate bodies co-localized with callose, indicating that they are associated with plasmodesmata-rich regions such as pit fields. Point mutations in P42 that inhibited its ability to drive cell-to-cell movement also inhibited GFP-P42 punctate body formation. GFP-P42 punctate body formation was dependent on expression of P13 and P15 during the infection, indicating that these proteins act together or sequentially to localize P42 to the plasmodesmata.

Grapevine fanleaf nepovirus P38 putative movement protein is not transiently expressed and is a stable final maturation product in vivo.

The putative 38 kDa movement protein (P38) gene, located on the RNA2 of grapevine fanleaf nepovirus (GFLV), was cloned in Escherichia coli and expressed as a fusion protein fused to six histidines (6HisP38). This protein was purified and used to produce a specific polyclonal antiserum from which immunoglobulins were isolated by immunoaffinity against the recombinant 6HisP38. Western immunoblot analyses on GFLV RNA2 in vitro maturation products showed that the antibodies were specific for P38 protein. This protein was detected as early as 18 h post-inoculation in GFLV-infected Chenopodium quinoa protoplasts and accumulated to very high levels. Tissue-prints and time course experiments on infected C. quinoa plants confirmed that P38 is present at a high level late in infection and is a final maturation product of the GFLV RNA2 polyprotein in vivo. P94 and P66 intermediates of maturation and polyprotein P2 were also detected in vivo but in very low concentrations. No significant difference was observed in the relative amounts of P66 and P94 detected in vivo, contrary to what occurs in vitro. Subcellular fractionation studies showed that P38, although mainly cytosolic, is also found in association with cell wall and membranes. Thought to be the GFLV movement protein, P38 would thus behave in an 'atypical' manner.

Complete nucleotide sequence and genetic organization of grapevine fanleaf nepovirus RNA1.

The nucleotide sequence of the genomic RNA1, 7342 nucleotides (nt) of grapevine fanleaf virus strain F13 (GFLV-F13) has been determined from cDNA clones. The complete sequence contained only one long open reading frame (ORF) of 6852 nucleotides extending from nucleotide 243 to 7101. The putative polyprotein encoded by this ORF is 2284 amino acids in length with an Mr of 253K. The location of genome-linked protein and comparison of the primary structure of the 253K polyprotein to that of other closely related viral proteins of the picronavirus-like family allows the proposal of a scheme for the genetic organization of GFLV-F13 RNA1. The primary structure of the polyprotein includes a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of 92K and a cysteine protease of 25K. This protease shares not only major structural homologies, particularly in the substrate-binding pocket, with the trypsin-like serine proteases of other picorna-like viruses, but also their specificity in terms of cleavage. The large region of Mr 133K upstream of the VPg was found to contain at least two domains, one of which could be easily aligned with the NTP-binding sequence pattern and another which may have the characteristics of a protease cofactor. Thus, the 253K protein possesses the same general genetic organization as the corresponding protein of other picorna-like viruses.

Nucleotide sequence and genome characterization of rice yellow mottle virus RNA.

The genome of rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) is a single-stranded positive-sense RNA that is not polyadenylated, and has an M(r) of 1.4 x 10(6). We present here the 4550 nucleotide (nt) sequence of RYMV RNA, and its predicted genomic organization. The RYMV genomic RNA contains four open reading frames (ORFs). The first (nt 80 to 553) encodes a protein containing 157 amino acids with a predicted M(r) of 17.8K. No function has yet been attributed to this product. ORF2 (nt 608 to 3607) encodes a polyprotein of 999 amino acids, with a predicted M(r) of 110.7K. The first 134 amino acids of ORF2 are predicted to be the genome-linked protein, VPg, followed by the viral protease, the helicase and the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. ORF3 is within the boundaries of ORF2 and is predicted to encode a polypeptide with 126 amino acids and an M(r) of 13.7K. No function has yet been attributed to this protein. ORF4 (nt 3447 to 4166), which overlaps the 3' terminus of ORF2, encodes a 26K protein. This polypeptide has been identified as the RYMV coat protein. The data presented here confirm that RYMV belongs to the sobemovirus group and thus is a member of the picorna-like family of plant viruses.

Peanut clump virus RNA-1-encoded P15 regulates viral RNA accumulation but is not abundant at viral RNA replication sites.

RNA-1 of peanut clump pecluvirus (PCV) encodes N-terminally overlapping proteins which contain helicase-like (P131) and polymerase-like (P191) domains and is able to replicate in the absence of RNA-2 in protoplasts of tobacco BY-2 cells. RNA-1 also encodes P15, which is expressed via a subgenomic RNA. To investigate the role of P15, we analyzed RNA accumulation in tobacco BY-2 protoplasts inoculated with RNA-1 containing mutations in P15. For all the mutants, the amount of progeny RNA-1 produced was significantly lower than that obtained for wild-type RNA-1. If RNA-2 was included in the inoculum, the accumulation of both progeny RNAs was diminished, but near-normal yields of both could be recovered if the inoculum was supplemented with a small, chimeric viral replicon expressing P15, demonstrating that P15 has an effect on viral RNA accumulation. To further analyze the role of P15, transcripts were produced expressing P15 fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Following inoculation to protoplasts, epifluorescence microscopy revealed that P15 accumulated as spots around the nucleus and in the cytoplasm. Intracellular sites of viral RNA synthesis were visualized by laser scanning confocal microscopy of infected protoplasts labeled with 5-bromouridine 5'-triphosphate (BrUTP). BrUTP labeling also occurred in spots distributed within the cytoplasm and around the nucleus. However, the BrUTP-labeled RNA and EGFP/P15 very rarely colocalized, suggesting that P15 does not act primarily at sites of viral replication but intervenes indirectly to control viral accumulation levels.

Genome organization of grapevine fanleaf nepovirus RNA2 deduced from the 122K polyprotein P2 in vitro cleavage products.

The full-length transcript of grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) RNA2 produces a primary product of 122K when translated in the rabbit reticulocyte system. This 122K polyprotein is completely processed in vitro by the RNA1-encoded 24K proteinase. The positions of the cleavage sites within the polyprotein have been mapped and the genome organization of GFLV-F13 RNA2 has been established. The order of mature proteins in the 122K polyprotein is the amino-terminal 28K protein, the 38K protein followed by the 56K coat protein at the carboxy terminus. These proteins represent the final cleavage products of the 122K polyprotein. A 66K protein which yields 28K and 38K proteins constitutes the major maturation intermediate. Microsequencing of the amino extremity of radioactively labelled 38K protein allowed identification of the Cys257/Ala258 site as the cleavage site recognized by the GFLV proteinase between the 28K and the 38K proteins in the 66K protein in addition to the Arg605/Gly606 site between the 38K protein and the coat protein.

The 119 kDa and 124 kDa polyproteins of arabis mosaic nepovirus (isolate S) are encoded by two distinct RNA2 species.

Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV) is a nepovirus that is serologically distantly related to grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV). Both ArMV and GFLV induce grapevine degeneration disease. Several ArMV isolates, unlike isolates of GFLV, produce upon in vitro translation of RNA2 a polyprotein (P2) that forms a double band in polyacrylamide-SDS gels. Cloning of full-length copies of RNA2 of an ArMV isolate from grapevine (ArMV-S) revealed that this isolate contained two RNA2s of different length, called RNA2-U and RNA2-L. The two species were not readily separated by electrophoresis of the virion RNA under denaturing gel electrophoresis conditions but could be distinguished by analysis of primer extension and in vitro translation products. The size difference of the two RNA2s is due mostly if not exclusively to differences in their coding regions. The 124 kDa RNA2-U-encoded polyprotein P2' and the 119 kDa RNA2-L-encoded polyprotein P2", which co-migrate, respectively, with the upper and lower polyprotein bands produced by RNA2 of ArMV-S, were more than 95% identical except in their N-terminal domains. In vitro maturation experiments and sequence comparisons indicate that the N-terminal products of P2' and P2" have a molecular mass of 31 kDa and 26 kDa. The genomic organization proposed is similar to that of GFLV RNA2.

Biologically active transcripts from cloned cDNA of genomic grapevine fanleaf nepovirus RNAs.

Transcripts were produced in vitro by run-off transcription from full-length cDNA of RNA1 and RNA2 of grapevine fanleaf nepovirus (GFLV; isolate F13) cloned downstream from a bacteriophage RNA polymerase promoter. These transcripts, which possess a 5' terminal cap structure and a non-viral G residue instead of the naturally occurring genome-linked viral protein (VPg), are infectious to Chenopodium quinoa protoplasts when inoculated by electroporation. Synthetic RNA1 alone replicated in protoplasts. Inoculation of C. quinoa plants with synthetic RNA1 plus RNA2 produced symptoms similar to, but weaker, than those observed in plants infected with natural GFLV 6 to 8 days post-inoculation. Co-inoculated RNA1 and RNA2 were able to replicate and spread systemically in plants but RNA1 alone produced no symptoms and was not detected in non-inoculated leaves, suggesting that virus spread requires RNA2. Analysis of the genomic RNAs in plants infected with transcripts showed that the non-viral G at their 5' ends was not retained in the progeny.

Protein 2A of grapevine fanleaf nepovirus is implicated in RNA2 replication and colocalizes to the replication site.

RNA2 of grapevine fanleaf virus is replicated in trans by the RNA1-encoded replication machinery. Full processing of the RNA2-encoded polyprotein P2 yields protein 2A of unknown function, the movement protein 2B(MP), and the coat protein 2C(CP). Analysis of a set of deletion mutants in the P2-coding sequence revealed that protein 2A is necessary but not sufficient for RNA2 replication. In addition to the 5' and 3' noncoding sequences and the 2A-coding sequence, an additional sequence coding for 2B(MP) and/or 2C(CP) or the green fluorescent protein (GFP) is necessary for RNA2 replication. When 2A fused to GFP (2AGFP) was transiently expressed in uninfected T-BY2 protoplasts, 2AGFP appeared as punctate structures evenly distributed in the cytoplasm. However, in cells cotransfected with grapevine fanleaf virus RNAs and the 2AGFP construct, 2AGFP was predominantly found in a juxtanuclear location along with 1D(pro) and 1C(VPg), two RNA1-encoded proteins involved in RNA replication. Viral RNA replication as traced by 5-bromouridine 5' triphosphate (BrUTP) incorporation into newly synthesized RNA occurred at the same location. This colocalization is consistent with the hypothesis that 2A enables RNA2 replication through its association with the replication complex assembled from RNA1-encoded proteins.

Grapevine fanleaf virus replication occurs on endoplasmic reticulum-derived membranes.

Infection by Grapevine fanleaf nepovirus (GFLV), a bipartite RNA virus of positive polarity belonging to the Comoviridae family, causes extensive cytopathic modifications of the host endomembrane system that eventually culminate in the formation of a perinuclear "viral compartment." We identified by immunoconfocal microscopy this compartment as the site of virus replication since it contained the RNA1-encoded proteins necessary for replication, newly synthesized viral RNA, and double-stranded replicative forms. In addition, by using transgenic T-BY2 protoplasts expressing green fluorescent protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or in the Golgi apparatus (GA), we could directly show that GFLV replication induced a depletion of the cortical ER, together with a condensation and redistribution of ER-derived membranes, to generate the viral compartment. Brefeldin A, a drug known to inhibit vesicle trafficking between the GA and the ER, was found to inhibit GFLV replication. Cerulenin, a drug inhibiting de novo synthesis of phospholipids, also inhibited GFLV replication. These observations imply that GFLV replication depends both on ER-derived membrane recruitment and on de novo lipid synthesis. In contrast to proteins involved in viral replication, the 2B movement protein and, to a lesser extent, the 2C coat protein were not confined to the viral compartment but were transported toward the cell periphery, a finding consistent with their role in cell-to-cell movement of virus particles.