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Effect of protein aggregation state on coat protein-mediated protection against tobacco mosaic virus using a
1Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130.
Abstract:
To address the mechanism(s) of protection against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection conferred by expression of the TMV capsid protein (CP) gene in transgenic tobacco plants, a transient protection assay has been developed. Introduction of either purified viral CP or virus inactivated by ultraviolet irradiation into tobacco protoplasts induced a transient protection to challenge virus introduced concomitantly or shortly thereafter. The transient protection was characterized and the effects of different aggregation states of TMV CP were tested in the transient assay system. Tobacco mosaic virus CP preparations composed largely of helical, virus-like, aggregates conferred a less transient protection against TMV and greater protection against a distantly related virus than did preparations composed primarily of smaller aggregates.