Coat protein gene and 3′ non-coding region of tobacco mosaic virus and tomato mosaic virus are associated with viral pathogenesis in Nicotiana tabacum

The camellia isolate of tomato mosaic virus (ToMV-TL) can induce local necrotic lesions on the inoculated leaves in Nicotiana tabacum, whereas the broad bean isolate of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV-B) produces the mosaic symptom on systemic leaves. To examine viral determinant for differential infection phenotype in N. tabacum, the coat protein gene and the 3′ non-coding region of TMV was replaced with that of ToMV, the chimeric virus induced similar local necrotic lesions to that induced by ToMV. The results indicate that the coat protein gene and the 3′ non-coding region of TMV and ToMV influence the virus-induced pathogenesis in N. tabacum.