Two attenuated Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) isolates, Paf-CMV and Rs2-CMV that had been selected from CMV isolates associated with satellite RNA (satRNA) were tested for cross-protection effect in pepper plants. The viruses selected as attenuated strai...
Two attenuated Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) isolates, Paf-CMV and Rs2-CMV that had been selected from CMV isolates associated with satellite RNA (satRNA) were tested for cross-protection effect in pepper plants. The viruses selected as attenuated strains appeared to be identical serologically and physically to the challenge virus (Mf-CMV), but they were lower in the dilution end-point of infectivity of crude sap than Mf-CMV When symptoms were observed in several indicator plants after inoculation, Paf-CMV and Rs2-CMV were symptomless or showed mild mosaic symptoms while another satRNA isolate Ap-CMV developed severe mosaic symptoms on the leaves as Mf-CMV. The nucleotide sequences of the satRNAs were determined by sequencing full-length cDNA clones. Paf-, Rs2- and Ap-satRNAs were 386, 335, and 347 nucleotides long, respectively, The sequences were then compared with the other known Y-satRNA, revealing that nucleotide sequences of the satRNAs consisted of 5'- and 3'-terminal conserved regions. However variations occurred on the middle regions of the sequences, especially those related to symptom interference, showing significant differences between Paf-satRNA and other isolates. Infectious transcripts of Paf-satRNA and Rs2-satRNA induced mild mosaic symptoms in pepper plants when supported by genomic RNAs of Mf-CMV. Under greenhouse conditions, Paf-CMV and Rs2-CMV were tested for cross-protection effect in pepper and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv, Xanthi nc) plants against Mf-CMV. No symptoms were developed on the plants vaccinated with Paf-CMV until 3 weeks after inoculation with the virulent strain; however another attenuated isolate, Rs2-CMV, showed less effectiveness in cross-protection. Depending on the concentration of the challenged virus, symptoms sometimes appeared later in the upper leaves. However, in plants challenged with low concentrations (below 0.2 mg/ml) of the challenge inoculum, symptoms caused by the virulent strain did not develop on the plants vaccinated with Paf-CMV. In the field experiments, the number of pepper plants with severe mosaic symptoms in the control plots was progressively increased after transplanting and reached approximately 50% after 50 days. On the other hand, the incidence of mosaic disease appeared very low on the plants that had received the protective inoculation with Paf-CMV.