Protein composition of the virions of five plant rhabdoviruses

Abstract

Five plant rhabdoviruses fall into two groups based on the patterns produced by their dissociated virion proteins when separated electrophoretically. Lettuce necrotic yellows virus (LNVY) and Sonchus virus (SV) virions contained only one M protein and NS protein. Sowthistle yellow vein virus (SYVV), Sonchus yellow net virus (SYNV) and eggplant mottled dwarf virus (EMDV) virions contained two M proteins and no detectable NS protein. The M and G proteins of LNYV and SV were easily released from the nucleocapsid after incubation with 1% Nonidet P40 (NP40), whereas the G protein and only a proportion of one of the M proteins were released from the nucleocapsids of SYVV, SYNV and EMDV after incubation with 1% NP40. It was necessary to increase the NP40 concentration to 4% to release both M proteins from SYVV nucleocapsids.