Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026
10:20
Assembly and Purification of Prototype Foamy Virus Intasomes
Published on: March 19, 2018
Purification and characterization of potyvirus helper component
D W Thornbury1, G M Hellmann, R E Rhoads
1Department of Plant Pathology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40546, USA.
Virology
|July 15, 1985
Summary
This study purified helper component (HC) from tobacco vein mottling virus (TVMV) and potato virus Y (PVY). The active HC molecule appears to be a dimer, crucial for aphid transmission.
Area of Science:
- Plant Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Protein Biochemistry
Background:
- Helper component (HC) is essential for aphid transmission of potyviruses.
- Understanding HC structure and function is key to controlling virus spread.
Purpose of the Study:
- To purify and characterize the helper component (HC) from tobacco vein mottling virus (TVMV) and potato virus Y (PVY).
- To determine the molecular weight and potential quaternary structure of biologically active HC.
Main Methods:
- Purification using sucrose gradient fractionation, affinity chromatography, and gel electrophoresis.
- Molecular weight determination via SDS-PAGE and HPLC-gel permeation chromatography.
- Antisera production and functional assays (aphid transmission) to confirm HC activity.
Main Results:
- Purified HC subunits of 53K (TVMV) and 58K (PVY) were obtained.
- Antisera specifically blocked homologous HC activity and precipitated cell-free translation products.
- Biologically active HC molecular weight (100K-150K) suggests a dimeric structure.
Conclusions:
- The helper component (HC) of TVMV and PVY exists as a dimer.
- This dimeric structure is likely essential for the biological activity of HC in virus transmission.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Subviral Agents
Subviral agents are infectious entities that resemble viruses but lack one or more viral components, such as a capsid or essential replication machinery. These agents include viroids, prions, and satellites, each possessing distinct structural and functional characteristics that influence their mode of infection and replication.Viroids are the simplest subviral agents, consisting of circular, single-stranded RNA molecules without a protein coat. They exclusively infect plants, relying entirely...
01:19Inhibitors of Virion Maturation and Assembly
As part of their replication cycle, certain viruses synthesize long precursor proteins called polyproteins within infected host cells. In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), two major polyproteins are produced: Gag and Gag-Pol. The Gag polyprotein supplies the structural components of the virus, while Gag-Pol includes essential viral enzymes such as reverse transcriptase, integrase, and protease. After synthesis, these polyproteins move to the host cell membrane, where they assemble into an...