Immunological detection of the 8K protein of potato virus X (PVX) in cell walls of PVX-infected tobacco and transgenic potato

Summary

Open reading frame 4 (ORF4) of the potato virus X (PVX) genome encodes an 8K protein which is a part of the “triple gene block” and is known to play a role in the cell-to-cell movement of the virus in infected plants. To locate the 8K protein and further elucidate the mechanism of cell-to-cell transport of PVX, antibodies were raised against the 8K protein and used to localize this protein in PVX-infected tobacco and in transgenic potato plants expressing the 8K protein both by subcellular fractionation and by immunolabeling with colloidal gold. The results indicated that the 8K protein was localized to the cell wall.