Electron microscopic studies on barley yellow dwarf virus infection in oats

Barley yellow dwarf luteoviruses (BYDVs) cause significant economic losses worldwide due to damage to cereal crops such as oats, wheat and barley. The virus is transmitted by aphids that inject viral particles into the phloem of the host during the feeding process. BYDVs remain restricted to the phloem tissue and cause cytopathological alterations that ultimately lead to complete obliteration of the infected cell. Phloem cells are considered infected if they contain one or more of the following inclusions: Viral particles, filamentous material, virus-induced vesicles. In this project an in situ immunolocalization assay and an in situ hybridization assay were developed to determine the subcellular accumulation of two viral proteins, the coat protein and a single strand RNA binding protein (17 kDa protein), and the viral RNA. Viral coat protein was first detected in the cytoplasm surrounding clusters of filamentous material that was shown to contain viral RNA. It is suggested that viral coat protein is translated in these areas from viral RNA. Only at later stages was coat protein observed in the nucleus and it is concluded that the viral coat protein diffuses into the nucleus after its disruption during later stages of infection. Viral coat protein was not detected in any other cell organelle. The 17 kDa protein was always associated with filamentous material. Filaments in nuclear pores were also occasionally labeled. The role of the 17 kDa protein as a single strand RNA binding protein was confirmed. The in situ hybridization assay showed that the virus-induced filamentous material contains viral RNA. Minus- and plus-strand were detected in nucleus, cytoplasm, and virus-induced vesicles.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Crop Sciences

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Nass, Petra Hildegard

Contributors dc:contributor

• D'Arcy, Cleora J.

• Biology, Microbiology
• Agriculture, Plant Pathology

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 1996 Nass, Petra Hildegard

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

9780591089349
AAI9702622
(UMI)AAI9702622

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/20140