VIEW ARTICLE

Etiology

Isolation of a Caulimovirus from Strawberry Tissue Infected with Strawberry Vein Banding Virus. T. J. Morris, Assistant professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Berkeley 94720; R. H. Mullin(2), D. E. Schlegel(3), A. Cole(4), and M. C. Alosi(5). (2)(5)Staff research associates, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Berkeley 94720; (3)Professor of plant pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Berkeley 94720; (4)Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Berkeley 94720. Phytopathology 70:156-160. Accepted for publication 24 August 1979. Copyright 1980 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-70-156.

Strawberry vein banding virus (SVBV), semipersistent aphid-transmitted virus, was partially purified from infected strawberry tissue utilizing a step gradient consisting of a layer of 1.50 g/cm³ CsCl in 30% sucrose. Semipurified SVBV collected from the gradient interface reacted heterologously with antiserum to the cabbage B strain of cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV). Sedimentable antigenic activity was detected by ELISA in the 200S region of linear log sucrose gradients for both SVBV and CaMV after treatment with formaldehyde. In addition, chromatography of SVBV and CaMV on ECTEOLA (Cellex-E) ion exchange cellulose revealed that both eluted at approximately 0.18 M NaCl. Spherical virions about 45 nm in diameter were seen by serologically specific electron microscopy of semipure SVBV and CaMV extracts and typical caulimovirus cytoplasmic inclusions were observed by electron microscopy in ultrathin sections of SVBV infected strawberry leaves. These data indicate that SVBV is a legitimate member of the caulimovirus group.