Subcellular localization and interactions among TGB proteins of cowpea mild mottle virus

Abstract

Cowpea mild mottle virus (CPMMV) is a flexuous filamentous virus that belongs to the genus Carlavirus (family Betaflexiviridae). The CPMMV genome contains six open reading frames (ORFs), among which the triple gene block (TGB), encoded by ORFs 2 to 4, has been reported to encode movement proteins for different viruses. The subcellular localization of the TGB proteins of CPMMV isolate CPMMV:BR:MG:09:2 was analysed by transient expression of each protein fused to a fluorophore. Overall, the accumulation pattern and interactions among CPMMV TGB proteins (TGBp) were similar to those of their counterparts from the potex-like group. Considering these similarities, we evaluated the potential interactions between the TGB proteins of CPMMV and of potato virus X, which could complement cell-to-cell movement. The TGBp2 and TGBp3 of PVX had an effect on CPMMV TGBp1, directing it to the plasmodesmata, but the reverse was not true.