The movement proteins of cowpea mosaic virus and cauliflower mosaic virus induce tubular structures in plant and insect cells

1,2 Departments of Virology and Molecular Biology, Agricultural University, Binnenhaven 11, 6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands 3 Department of Plant Virus Research, John Innes Institute, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK The movement proteins (MP) of cowpea mosaic virus and cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) are associated with tubular structures in vivo which participate in the transmission of virus particles from cell to cell. Both proteins have been expressed in plant protoplasts and insect cells. In all cases, immunofluorescent histochemistry showed that the MPs accumulate intracellularly as tubular extensions projecting from the cell surface. Additionally, electron microscopy revealed intracellular MP aggregates in CaMV MP-expressing cells. The data presented establish common features for the tubule-forming MPs: no other virus gene products are required for tubule formation and unique plant components (e.g. plasmodesmata) are not essential for tubule synthesis. Present address: Max Planck Institute, Carl-von Linne-Weg 10, 50829 Cologne, Germany. Present address: INRA-ENSAM, laboratoire de Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des plantes, place Viala, 34060 Montpellier, France. Received 9 April 1996; accepted 8 July 1996.