Olive latent virus‐1, an isometric virus with a single RNA species isolated from olive in Apulia, Southern Italy

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
SUMMARY: A mechanically transmissible virus isolated from some olive trees growing in Apulia, Southern Italy is described under the name of olive latent virus‐1 (OLV–1). Virus particles (c. 30 nm in diameter) sedimented as a single component (11 IS) and contained a major single‐stranded RNA species which when denatured had a size of about 4100 nucleotides and up to seven smaller RNAs. When centrifuged to equilibrium either in CsCl or CS2SO4 gradients, virus preparations were homogeneous. In polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, about 50% of virus coat protein preparations formed a band of mol. wt 32 000 (32K protein) but two other bands of mol. wt 36 000 (36K protein) and 65 000 (65K protein) and some diffuse bands were also observed. The 32K protein, its probable dimer (65K protein) and diffuse bands are regarded as components of virus coat protein, whereas the 36K protein is probably a contaminant from the host plant. Virus particles were stabilised by divalent cations, pH‐dependent bonds and salt links between protein and RNA. EDTA‐treated virions were sensitive to ribonuclease and SDS.OLV‐1 was serologically unrelated to four tombusviruses, seven sobemoviruses or putative sobemoviruses, and seven other single component isometric plant viruses.