NONISOTOPIC TISSUE-PRINTING HYBRIDIZATION - A NEW TECHNIQUE TO STUDY LONG-DISTANCE PLANT-VIRUS MOVEMENT

A non-isotopic tissue-print hybridization technique was developed to study long-distance plant virus movement. By using digoxigenin-labeled RNA probes the distribution pattern of the viral RNA was observed in leaf, stem and petiole tissues. In leaf tissue viral RNA was confined preferentially to symptoms and veins, and in stem and petiole sections, the hybridization signal was observed in vascular tissues. Both chemiluminescent and colorigenic detection methods were used. The colorigenic method, though less sensitive, is advantageous in that it gives some anatomical information on the signal distribution. This non-isotopic tissue-print hybridization technique can provide considerable information about the spatial and temporal virus expression with regard to its symptoms.