VIEW ARTICLE

A Study of Tobacco Etch Virus-Induced Inclusions Using Indirect Immunoferritin Procedures. James F. Shepard, Department of Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman 59715; G. Gaard(2), and D. E. Purcifull(3). (2)Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706; (3)Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Gainesville 32601. Phytopathology 64:418-425. Accepted for publication 29 October 1973. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-64-418.

Intranuclear and cytoplasmic inclusions within cells infected by tobacco etch virus (TEV) were tested for immunochemical cross-reactivity with rabbit antibody prepared against TEV, TEV-dissociated capsid protein (TEV D-protein), and TEV cylindrical inclusion protein. Indirect immunoferritin experiments were conducted with fractured plant cells using ferritin-tagged sheep anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G (R-IgG) antibody subsequent to rabbit antibody. Examination of treated cellular regions with the electron microscope revealed that nuclear crystalline inclusions were not ferritin-tagged following exposure to any of the antibody preparations tested. However, TEV particles and TEV-induced cylindrical inclusions were intensely labelled after incubation with first their homologous antibody, and then ferritin tagged sheep anti-R-IgG antibody. These results suggest that TEV-induced nuclear protein crystals possess an immune specificity distinct from both TEV capsid protein and cylindrical inclusion protein.