Amino acid 129 in the coat protein of Cucumber mosaic virus primarily determines invasion of the shoot apical meristem of tobacco [Nicotiana tabacum] plants

We previously reported that a strain of Cucumber mosaic virus (Pepo CMV) invaded the shoot apical meristem (SAM, tunica corpus) of tobacco plants at 6-8 days postinoculation (dpi), contrary to earlier observations. To identify a viral factor determining the ability to invade the SAM, we inoculated plants with two other CMV strains, MY17 and Y, and tested the three strains in this study. Immunohistochemical microscopy revealed that MY17 CMV invaded the SAM at 7dpi, the same as Pepo CMV, but Y CMV did not, even at 21dpi. Using RNA pseudorecombinants between Pepo and Y CMV, we found that Pepo RNA 2 affected the rate of SAM invasion, and Pepo RNA 3 was required for successful SAM invasion. Inoculation with RNA 1 and RNA 2 from Y CMV and RNA 3 containing the chimeric coat protein (CP) gene between Pepo and Y CMV or a Y RNA 3 point mutant containing a Ser-to-Pro substitution at position 129 in CP (Y129P) revealed that amino acid 129 of CP is the determinant for successful SAM invasion. The rate of SAM invasion of the pseudorecombinants and Y129P was consistent with the efficiency of cell-to-cell movement in the inoculated leaves, implying that SAM invasion by CMV strains may be due to efficient cell-to-cell movement. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]