Viral determinants of pea early browning virus seed transmission in pea

Pea early browning virus (PEBV) is a member of the genus, Tobravirus. It is transmitted by soil-inhabiting trichodorid nematodes and through seeds from diseased plants. By introducing mutations into the PEBV genome, we have studied the viral determinants of seed transmission in pea. Neither deleting a portion of the genome containing the three nonstructural genes in RNA2 nor the interuption of any of the three genes individually prevented PEBV seed transmission. However, a comparison of two PEBV isolates indicated a minor role for RNA2 or its products. In contrast, the removal of the coding sequence of the 12K gene in RNA1 almost completely abolished viral seed transmission. The virus lacking the 12K gene caused more severe symptoms on leaves and pods, and accumulated to a higher level than the wild-type virus in both types of tissues. However, the 12K deletion mutant accumulated poorly in anthers and carpels, and could not be detected in pollen grains and ovules. These results suggest that the 12K gene is involved in the infection of the gametic cells and hence the seed transmission of PEBV in pea.