Ultrastructural analysis of prune Dwarf virus intercellular transport and pathogenesis

Abstract

Prune dwarf virus (PDV) is an important viral pathogen of plum, sweet cherry, peach, and many herbaceous test plants. Although PDV has been intensively investigated, mainly in the context of phylogenetic relationship of its genes and proteins, many gaps exist in our knowledge about the mechanism of intercellular transport of this virus. The aim of this work was to investigate alterations in cellular organelles and the cell-to-cell transport of PDV in Cucumis sativus cv. Polan at ultrastructural level. To analyze the role of viral proteins in local transport, double-immunogold assays were applied to localize PDV coat protein (CP) and movement protein (MP). We observe structural changes in chloroplasts, mitochondria, and cellular membranes. We prove that PDV is transported as viral particles via MP-generated tubular structures through plasmodesmata. Moreover, the computer-run 3D modeling reveals structural resemblances between MPs of PDV and of Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), implying similarities of transport mechanisms for both viruses.