DETECTION OF THE L-PROTEIN OF TOMATO SPOTTED WILT VIRUS

The 5′-terminal and 3′-terminal parts of the single open reading frame (ORF) in the L RNA of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) were expressed using a prokaryotic expression system. Using antibodies raised against the translational products obtained a 330-kDa protein could be specifically detected in preparations of purified virions and in nucleocapsid preparations from TSWV-infected leaf tissue, The results obtained indicate that the L protein of TSWV, though much larger than that of the animal-infecting bunyaviruses, is present in virus particles in an unprocessed, intact form. © 1993 Academic Press. All rights reserved.