Identification of beet western yellows luteovirus genes implicated in viral replication and particle morphogenesis

The roles in replication and viral assembly of different beet western yellows luteovirus gene products were investigated in Chenopodium quinoa protoplasts using mutated transcripts. Of the six long open reading frames (ORFs) present on the viral RNA, only ORFs 2 and 3, which encode proteins containing conserved putative replicase domains, were essential for replication. Various deletions in the 3' part of the genome within ORFs 4, 5, and 6 did not affect viral replication. Analysis of the progeny of those mutants capable of replication showed that virus particles were produced in protoplasts infected with transcripts modified in ORFs 1, 5, or 6 but not with transcripts unable to produce coat protein, encoded by ORF 4.