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Biomedical subjects

E Luisoni

Publications and source records attributed to E Luisoni.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Improved serological diagnosis of Poplar mosaic virus with monoclonal antibodies.

Poplar mosaic virus (PopMV) is widespread in all countries where poplar is grown, and causes severe economic losses in terms of quantity and quality of wood production. Control is based on indexing, aimed at the production of healthy propagation material. The currently used diagnostic method is double antibody sandwich (DAS) ELISA with polyclonal antibodies, which is relatively simple and inexpensive and more reliable than visual inspection of symptoms in the nurseries. However, this method also has disadvantages, mainly low sensitivity in relation to low concentration and irregular distribution of the virus in the plant. In this study, a new diagnostic method for PopMV based on production and use of a monoclonal antibody (Mab) in a triple antibody sandwich (TAS) ELISA, is presented. The TAS-ELISA with monoclonal antibodies was optimised by testing a range of reagent combinations and concentrations. PopMV was detected by the optimised TAS-ELISA with sensitivity more than 100 times higher than by DAS-ELISA with polyclonal antibodies. Six PopMV isolates from four European countries were detected with the same efficiency, indicating that no limitations to the practical use of the TAS-ELISA arise due to excessive epitope-specificity of the monoclonal antibody employed.

Animals↗

Indian citrus ringspot virus: a proposed new species with some affinities to potex-, carla-, fovea- and allexiviruses.

An isolate of Indian citrus ringspot virus from Kinnow mandarin in northern India had flexuous particles with evident cross-banding and a modal length of 650 nm. It was mechanically transmitted to five herbaceous hosts including Phaseolus vulgaris cv Saxa, in which it became systemic. In thin sections, virus particles were observed in the cytoplasm of parenchyma cells but no specific inclusions were seen. The virus was purified from infected Saxa bean leaves and an antiserum prepared. There was no serological cross-reaction with representative allexi-, capillo-, potex- and trichoviruses, except a faint one-way reaction with Potato virus X. Purified virus yielded a major band, the presumed coat protein (CP), of about 34 kDa, and a single ssRNA of about 7.5 kb, which was infectious. Two ORFs encoding putative proteins of 34 kDa and 23 kDa were located in the 3' part of the RNA. The product of the 34 kDa ORF was confirmed as the CP by expression in E. coli. The derived amino acid sequence of the CP contained some short motifs similar to those of potex-, fovea-, carla- and allexiviruses but otherwise there was no strong similarity to any of these. The 23 kDa ORF contained a zinc finger-like sequence, as in similar ORFs in carla- and allexiviruses but overall amino acid homology with these was low. The virus does not appear to fall into any known genus. A new species is proposed. Serological and molecular diagnostic reagents were prepared.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

Partial characterization of a new virus from ranunculus with a divided RNA genome and circular supercoiled thread-like particles.

An undescribed virus, here named ranunculus white mottle virus, was isolated in Italy from cultivated ranunculus showing mottle and distortion of leaves. The virus was mechanically transmissible to several herbaceous hosts. In negative stain, the particles appeared as circularised supercoiled threads 3 nm in diameter of different contour lengths; in some conditions the circles collapsed to form linear pseudobranched structures 9 nm in diameter. Immunolabeling of thin sections showed that viral antigen was widely distributed in the cytoplasm of parenchyma cells. The virus was not serologically related to the morphologically similar tenuiviruses, citrus psorosis-ringspot virus and tulip mild mottle mosaic virus. A major 43 kDa protein was present in purified preparations and in infected plant tissue, as also was a minor 28 kDa protein, serologically related to the major one. Nucleic acids extracted from purified particles consisted of at least three RNAs, of approximately 7.5, 1.8 and 1.5 kb, which appeared partly in single- and partly in double-stranded form. Purified preparations, but not viral RNAs, when mechanically inoculated, were infectious. Host range, tissue tropism, particle morphology and coat protein size place the virus closest to citrus psorosis-ringspot and tulip mild mottle mosaic viruses. These three viruses in turn show similarities with the Tenuiviruses and Bunyaviridae.

Capsid↗

Purification of tomato yellow leaf curl geminivirus.

Attempts were made to find a good purification procedure for tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), a dangerous and continuously spreading whitefly-transmitted germinivirus, up to now only partially purified. Electron microscopy, serology and spectrophotometry were used to evaluate different procedures. The scheme finally adopted was the following: collect leaves and stems from Nicotiana benthamiana graft-infected 45-60 days previously (5-10 g/plant); homogenize with 0.5 M phosphate buffer pH 6 containing 2.5 mM NaEDTA, 10 mM Na2SO3, 0.1% 2-mercaptoethanol, 1% Triton X-100 and 0.1% Driselase (3-4 ml of buffer for each g of material); incubate overnight on ice with gentle agitation; filter; emulsify with 15% cold chloroform; centrifuge at low speed; ultracentrifuge supernatant; resuspend pellets in 0.5 M phosphate buffer pH 7 containing 2.5 mM NaEDTA; centrifuge at low speed; repeat resuspension of the pellets and low-speed centrifugation; ultracentrifuge the pooled supernatant on a Cs2SO4 gradient (e.g. for 5 h at 41,000 rpm); collect the virus band and dialyse or ultracentrifuge the virus. The virus yield was 5-10 mg per kg of tissue.

Animals↗

Advances in diagnosing tomato yellow leaf curl geminivirus infection.

As a result of the spread of TYLCV on tomato crops, reliable and rapid diagnostic tools to identify and isolate new sources of infection are necessary. We tested several methods, based both on antibodies and on nonradioactive DNA probes. Indirect plate-trapping ELISA was only effective in detecting the virus in purified preparations, but not in crude extracts. Dot-ELISA with chemiluminescence detection gave satisfactory results when young stems were directly squashed on membranes. A digoxigenin-labeled probe, detected with chemiluminescence, was used in leaf squashes and dot blots. Best results were obtained with dot blots of total nucleic acids prepared with a fast and safe procedure. TYLCV DNA was readily and reliably detected in spots corresponding to 15 micrograms fresh weight. When weak signals were observed, total extracts were analyzed by Southern blotting, to confirm the presence of viral DNA forms.

Antibodies, Viral↗

Cryptic viruses in hop trefoil (Medicago lupulina) and their relationships to other cryptic viruses in legumes.

Three double-stranded (ds) RNA-containing viruses, named hop trefoil cryptic virus (HTCV) 1, 2 and 3, were found in apparently healthy seedlings of hop trefoil (Medicago lupulina). Only 1-2% of plants tested were virus-free. The particles occurred in the cytoplasm, nuclei and nucleoli of parenchyma cells. They were purified as a mixture (HTCV-M) with a mean yield of 50-100 micrograms/kg fresh tissue, and an antiserum was obtained. HTCV1 was serologically related to one component (ACV1) of a mixture of alfalfa cryptic viruses (ACV-M) present in alfalfa (M. sativa), and was separated by immunoprecipitation from HTCV-M; its particles, about 30 nm in diameter, contained two dsRNAs (Mr 1.27 X 10(6) and 1.15 X 10(6)) comigrating in PAGE with two RNAs of ACV-M. Particles of HTCV2, about 38 nm in diameter and with distinct morphological subunits, were serologically closely related to particles of similar morphology (RCCV2) present in a mixture of cryptic viruses (RCCV-M) from red clover (Trifolium pratense), and were distantly related to white clover cryptic virus 2, also of similar morphology. HTCV3 had particles 30 nm in diameter, morphologically similar to those of HTCV1, and reacted with an antiserum to vicia cryptic virus. HTCV2 and 3 could not be individually separated. The RNAs of HTCV-M, in addition to the two bands attributed to HTCV1, gave, upon electrophoresis, three bands of estimated Mr 1.34, 1.08 and 0.95, all X 10(6), and up to five minor bands of Mr ranging from 1.45 to 0.98, all X 10(6).

Fabaceae↗

Relationships between the cryptic and temperate viruses of alfalfa, beet and white clover.

Small isometric virus particles containing double-stranded RNA have been independently reported in Europe and Japan from apparently healthy alfalfa (Medicago sativa), beet (Beta vulgaris), and white clover (Trifolium repens). They have been called cryptic viruses in Europe and temperate viruses in Japan. Serological comparison using immunoelectron microscopy, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the RNAs indicate that alfalfa cryptic and temperate viruses are the same, beet cryptic virus is probably a mixture of two different viruses, one of which is similar to or the same as beet temperate virus, and white clover temperate virus is a mixture of at least three different viruses, two of them indistinguishable from white clover cryptic viruses 1 and 2, respectively, and the third very likely the same as white clover cryptic virus 3.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗