Major polyadenylated transcripts of cassava latent virus and location of the gene encoding coat protein

Abstract

The nucleotide sequences of infectious cloned DNAs 1 and 2 of a Kenyan isolate of cassava latent virus (CLV) have been determined. Five virus-specific polyadenylated transcripts have been identified and mapped either to the viral or complementary sense DNAs of both components of the CLV genome, confirming that transcription is bidirectional on both DNAs. A major mRNA has been translated in vitro to yield a 30 000 mol. wt. product, which is precipitated by antibodies raised against whole virus, and has been mapped by both the S1 nuclease procedure and hybrid-arrested translation to the long open reading frame (ORF) in the viral sense of DNA 1 which encodes the coat protein. Other transcripts were of sufficient size and appropriate origin to encode at last five potential products.