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Title: PHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION, INSECT VECTOR IDENTIFICATION AND GENOME SEQUENCE ANALYSIS OF MAIZE FINE STREAK RHABDOVIRUS (MFSV): A RECENTLY DISCOVERED PATHOGEN OF MAIZE

Author
item TSAI, C - OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
item Redinbaugh, Margaret
item GERMAN, T - UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
item HOGENHOUT, S - OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: American Society for Virology Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/28/2002
Publication Date: 7/20/2002
Citation: Tsai, C.W., Redinbaugh, M.G., German, T.L., Hogenhout, S.A. 2002. Physical characterization, insect vector identification and genome sequence analysis of maize fine streak rhabdovirus (mfsv): a recently discovered pathogen of maize. American Society for Virology Meeting. p. 113.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: We have identified a new rhabdovirus in maize plants (Zea mays L.) collected from fields of Syngenta sweet corn near Bainbridge in Decatur County, Georgia in the fall of 1999. The virus is serologically distinct from other maize-infecting rhabdoviruses and was named Maize fine streak virus (MFSV). Antiserum raised to purified MDFSV reacted strongly with 5 proteins of 80, 54, 50, 36 and 32 kDa from MFSV-infected leaves. MFSV was readily transmitted by vascular puncture injection of maize kernels, but not by rub inoculation of leaves. Transmission electron microscopy of ultrathin sections prepared from infected maize leaves revealed that MFSV particles bud and accumulate at nuclear membranes, but not at cytoplasmic membranes of plant cells. Thus, MFSV likely belongs to the genus Nucleorhabdovirus. MFSV was not transmitted by the corn leafhopper, Dalbulus maidis, four aphid species, and the known maize rhabdovirus vectors corn planthopper, Perigrinus maidis, and painted leafhoppers, Endria inimica. Only the delphacoid leafhopper, Graminella nigrifrons, transmitted MFSV to barley (Hordeum vulgare) and wheat (Triticum aestivum), but did not transmit the virus to Sorghum bicolor `Atlas'. Approximately 13 kb negative-stranded RNA genome of MFSV was isolated and used for cDNA library construction. A clone carrying a 1.5 kb cDNA insert was selected for sequence analysis. The cDNA insert had 52% identity with the 5' end of the L gene sequences of two other plant nucleorhabdoviruses, Sonchus yellow net virus and Rice transitory yellows virus, and was less related (47% identity) to that of the cytorhabdovirus Northern cereal mosaic virus. In this region of the genome, the plant-infecting rhabdoviruses were 42-43% identical with the human and/or animal-infecting rhabdoviruses, rabies virus and vesicular stomatitis virus.