MOLECULAR-BIOLOGY OF TOMBUSVIRIDAE

This chapter emphasizes the developments in the molecular biology tombusviridae, and the significant results of the studies on this subject are reviewed and discussed. The family Tombusviridae rest on solid bases, which are supported by the striking similarities in the ecological behavior, architectural organization of virus particles, and molecular features of the viral species of the two genera, Tombusuirus and Carmouirus. The taxonomic structure of Tombusviridae is also clear-cut, for it does not present points of controversy in the affiliation of any of the members that were all given the status of definitive species. Great advances were made in the molecular knowledge of several of the viral species of the family. These studies disclosed not only the complete nucleotide sequence of the genomes of all the above viruses, but with some of them began to explore in detail the significance of each of the single products of genome expression, the molecular relationships between genomic RNA and subviral RNA molecules, the mechanisms by which these molecules interact with one another, and the possible use of DI RNA and structural and nonstructural protein genes for inducing nonconventional resistance in transgenic hosts. © 1994 Academic Press Inc.