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Etiology

Maclura Mosaic Virus—An Elongated Plant Virus of Uncertain Classification. N. Pleše, Department of Botany, University of Zagreb, Yugoslavia; R. Koenig(2), D. E. Lesemann(3), and R. F. Bozarth(4). (2)(3)Institut für Viruskrankheiten der Pflanzen, Biologische Bundesanstalt, D 3300 Braunschweig, W. Germany; (4)Department of Life Sciences, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, 47809 USA. Phytopathology 69:471-475. Accepted for publication 25 November 1978. Copyright 1979 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-69-471.

An isolate of Maclura mosaic virus (MacMV) obtained after four successive passages through single lesions on Chenopodium amaranticolor had flexuous elongated particles with a normal length of 672 nm and a sedimentation velocity relative to marker viruses of 155S. Infected cells always contained cylindrical (pinwheel-type) inclusions, which suggests that MacMV may be a potyvirus. Other properties of MacMV, however, were not typical of potyviruses: its coat protein had a molecular mass of 45,000–48,000 daltons; the uncorrected and corrected values of A_280/260 were 0.94 and 1.04, respectively; the buoyant density in cesium chloride was 1.307 g/cm³; and peculiar granular structures aligning the surface of the particles were sometimes seen in crude sap preparations but not in purified preparations. The virus showed no pronounced reactions with antisera to one tobamo virus, 10 potex viruses, 10 carla viruses, two clostero viruses, or 15 potyviruses.