Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and Peanut stunt virus (PSV) each have genomes consisting of three single-stranded RNA molecules: RNA 1, 2 and 3. RNAs 1 and 2 encode the 1a and 2a proteins, respectively, which are necessary for replication of the viral genome. Although RNA 3 is exchangeable between CMV and PSV, exchange of RNA 1 and 2 between the two viruses has been unsuccessful. In this study, reassortants containing PSV RNA 1 and CMV RNA 2 together with RNA 3 of CMV or PSV were shown to be able to replicate their genomic RNA, but not to transcribe subgenomic RNA 4 in tobacco protoplasts. Conversely, the reassortant consisting of CMV RNA 1 and PSV RNA 2 together with RNA 3 of CMV or PSV could not replicate. Subsequently, a yeast two-hybrid system was used to analyse the in vivo interaction between the 1a and 2a proteins. The C-terminal half of PSV-1a protein interacted with the N-terminal region of 2a protein of both PSV and CMV, but the C-terminal half of CMV-1a and the N-terminal region of PSV-2a did not interact. These results suggest that RNA replication in the interspecific reassortant between CMV and PSV requires compatibility between the C-terminal half of the 1a protein and the N-terminal region of the 2a protein, and this compatibility is insufficient for transcription of subgenomic RNA 4.
INTRODUCTIONCucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is one of the most important pathogens of many crops, and Peanut stunt virus (PSV) is also an economically important pathogen of legumes worldwide. CMV and PSV are taxonomically related virus species, as shown serologically and by nucleic acid hybridization. They are members of the genus Cucumovirus, together with Tomato aspermy virus (TAV), in the family Bromoviridae, which belongs to the alphavirus-like superfamily (Goldbach, 1987;Koonin & Dolja, 1993). CMV strains are classified into subgroups IA, IB and II (reviewed in Palukaitis et al., 1992;Roossinck et al., 1999). PSV isolates are also classified into two distinct subgroups (Hu et al., 1997).Cucumoviruses have tripartite genomes that consist of three positive-sense, single-stranded RNA molecules, which are designated RNA 1 to 3 in decreasing order of molecular mass. RNA 1 and 2 encode the 1a and 2a proteins, respectively, both of which are necessary for virus replication (Nitta et al., 1988;Hayes & Buck, 1990). RNA 3 encodes the 3a protein, which is involved in virus movement (Suzuki et al., 1991;Canto et al., 1997;Kaplan et al., 1997). RNA 4, which is transcribed from the negative strand of RNA 3, serves as a messenger RNA for the viral coat protein (CP). CP is involved in symptom determination in several plants (Shintaku et al., 1992;Takahashi & Ehara, 1993;Suzuki et al., 1995;Takeshita et al., 1998Takeshita et al., , 2001. Another subgenomic RNA, RNA 4A, which is transcribed from RNA2, encodes the 2b protein, which is not necessary for replication (Ding et al., 1994(Ding et al., , 1995. The RNA 4A of subgroup I CMV was reported to accumulate to a very low level compared with that of subgroup II CMV and TAV (Shi et al., ...