How does the Tobacco Mosaic Virus spread in plants?

Question

I am doing a research project on the Tobacco Mosaic Virus and I would like to know whether it is by reverse transcrition that the virus spreads through a plant.

Answer 1

Answer number 3 comes the closest, but I think a layman's terms explanation is more useful.

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is not a retrovirus, so it does not use reverse transcription. TMV moves from cell to cell in a leaf by setting up replication sites next to or in plasmodesmata. Plasmodesmata are pores through cell walls that connect plant cells to their neighbors. The TMV replicates, and the new RNA moves into the neighbor cell and starts another infection. TMV keeps moving this way until it reaches a vein.

When TMV reaches a vein the viral particles (RNA covered by a protein shell, called a virion) moves into the phloem. Phloem acts as a transporter of sugars and nutrients in plants, and the virus hitchikes along to get to other uninfected leaves. Once in a new leaf, the virus leaves the phloem and starts the cell to cell movement again.

Answer 2

Tobacco Mosaic Virus Replication

Answer 3

Dear angel,
TMV is a nucleo-protein. It is rod shaped. It contains single strand RNA.

Dissemination :
Usually,viruses enter the plant cells through the wounds either made mechanically or by vectors. In almost all cases, they reach phloem and then are transported within the parts of the plant.

The sreading from one plant to another plant occur as follows:
1.through vegetative propagatoin,
2.through sap of the infected plants,
3.through seeds,
4.through pollen,
5.by insect vectors,
6.by mites, nematodes and fungi.

Symptoms :
1.Chlorosis :
The green tissues of the plant become pale due to thealteration in the normal development of chlorophyll.

2.Mosaic formation :
The various degrees of chlorosis result in the formation of yellow and green spots on the leaf which give the appearance of the mosaic.,
The disease will affect the quality of the tobacco leaves which in turn will affect the yield.

Answer 4

A vector,that is an insect harboring the virus is responsible for transmitting the virus to the plant it visits,therefore farmers are advised to keep the crop area free from weeds which would normally harbour pests.Newer crop strains are being introduced which are resistant to mosaic disease.

Answer 5

The plant disease caused by tobacco mosaic virus is found worldwide. The virus is known to infect more than 150 types of herbaceous, dicotyledonous plants including many vegetables, flowers, and weeds. Infection by tobacco mosaic virus causes serious losses on several crops including tomatoes, peppers, and many ornamentals. Tobacco mosaic virus is one of the most common causes of virus diseases of plants in Minnesota.

Many viruses produce mosaic-like symptoms on plants. Mosaic-like symptoms are characterized by intermingled patches of normal and light green or yellowish colors on the leaves of infected plants (figure 1). Tobacco mosaic damages the leaves, flowers, and fruit and causes stunting of the plant. The virus almost never kills plants but lowers the quality and quantity of the crop, particularly when the plants are infected while young.

Virus-infected plants often are confused with plants affected by herbicide or air pollution damage, mineral deficiencies, and other plant diseases. Positive identification of tobacco mosaic virus in infected plants often requires the services of a plant pathologist and the use of an electron microscope. Although it may take a plant pathologist to diagnose tobacco mosaic virus in many ornamental plants, the majority of tomato plants showing mosaic symptoms usually are infected by tobacco mosaic virus.

Answer 6

Tobacco mosaic virus infection spreads cell to cell as intact replication complexes

Shigeki Kawakami * , Yuichiro Watanabe , and Roger N. Beachy *

*Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 North Warson Road, St. Louis, MO 63132; and Department of Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Komaba 3-8-1, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan

Contributed by Roger N. Beachy, February 20, 2004


Plant viruses encode movement proteins (MPs) that facilitate cell–cell transport of infection through plasmodesmata. Intracellular and intercellular spread of virus replication complexes (VRCs) of tobacco mosaic virus was followed in intact leaf tissue from 12 to 36 h post infection (hpi) by using confocal microscopy. From 12 hpi, VRCs in primary infected cells were associated with cortical endoplasmic reticulum, and at 14 hpi, exhibited high intracellular mobility (160 nm/sec); mobility was slowed between 14 and 16 hpi (40 nm/sec), and by 18 hpi, VRCs were stationary, adjacent to plasmodesmata. VRCs traversed the plasmodesmata between 18 and 20 hpi. The process of formation and movement of VRCs was repeated in adjacent cells in 3–4 h vs. 20 h from primary infected cells. The rapid intracellular movement of the VRCs and the spread to adjacent cells was blocked by inhibitors of filamentous actin and myosin, but not by inhibitors of microtubules. We propose a model whereby cell–cell spread of tobamovirus infection is accomplished by subviral replication complexes that initiate TMV replication immediately after entry to adjacent cells.

Answer 7

things I've done to protect my heirloom tomato varieties: mulch the soil- so that water isn't bouncing back up to the leaves reinfecting them prune bottom leaves so that they are not touching the ground keep the yellowing, spotting leaves pruned off and thrown away plant in different areas each year spray my tomato cages with bleach water every spring get all tomato debris out of my garden every fall (and till in a bunch of tree leaves) and everything else that "KLU" mentioned

Answer 8

its a T-virus spreads with help of an vector

Answer 9

I Don't Know