Isolation and Characterization in Gynura aurantiaca of a Possible Citrus Rhabdovirus

Abstract

Rhabdovirus particles were detected in greenhouse‐grown Gynura aurantiaca plants during a study of citrus diseases, and some of their biological and physicochemical properties were determined. The gynura plants displayed vein clearing of young leaves as the earliest symptom and later on, an anomalous growth of some leaves. This syndrome could be easily transmitted by graft, dodder and, with more difficulty, by sap inoculation. Electron microscopy showed bacilliform virions of about 260 × 70nm, in perinuclear spaces. Purified rhabdovirus particles inoculated to healthy plants were infectious, showing that this virus was the causal agent of the gynura syndrome. An estimate of the buoyant density in sucrose of the virus gave a value of 1.17g/,cm3. Analysis of virion proteins by SDS‐PAGE revealed four major bands of relative molecular mass 81.5, 56.6, 31.6 and 24.6 x 103, suggesting that these corresponds to the G, N, M1 and M2 proteins respectively, of the subgroup B of plant rhabdoviruses. From these data we conclude that the rhabdovirus here described should be placed in the potato yellow dwarf virus subgroup of plant rhabdoviruses. The fact that a Citrus could be the original source of the virus is discussed.