The cylindrical inclusion gene of Turnip mosaic virus encodes a pathogenic determinant to the Brassica resistance gene TuRB01

The viral component of Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) determining virulence to the Brassica napus TuRB01 dominant resistance allele has been identified. Sequence comparisons of an infectious cDNA clone of the UK 1 isolate of TuMV (avirulent on TuRB01) and a spontaneous mutant capable of infecting plants possessing TuRB01 suggested that a single nucleotide change in the cylindrical inclusion (CI) protein coding region (gene) of the virus was responsible for the altered phenotype. A second spontaneous mutation involved a different change in the CI gene. The construction of chimeric genomes and subsequent inoculations to plant lines segregating for TuRB01 confirmed the involvement of the CI gene in this interaction. Site-directed mutagenesis of the viral coat protein (CP) gene at the ninth nucleotide was carried out to investigate its interaction with TuRB01. The identity of this nucleotide in the CP gene did not affect the outcome of the viral infection. Both mutations identified in the CI gene caused amino acid changes in the C terminal third of the protein, outside any of the conserved sequences reported to be associated with helicase or cell-to-cell transport activities. This is the first example of a potyvirus CI gene acting as a determinant for a genotype-specific resistance interaction.