The isolation of YS, a spontaneous variant of the CAM strain of tobacco rattle virus, is described. Unlike CAM, YS produced yellow symptoms in several species of host plant. In experiments with mixtures of virus particles from the two strains, this character was shown to be controlled by RNA-2. However, the coat proteins of YS and CAM were indistinguishable by serology, by electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels or by tryptic peptide mapping. It is concluded that the mutation responsible for the yellow symptoms is not in the coat protein gene, but elsewhere in RNA-2.
HarrisonB. D.,
NixonH. L.1959; Separation and properties of particles of tobacco rattle virus with different lengths. Journal of General Microbiology 21:569–581
SängerH. L.1968; Characteristics of tobacco rattle virus. I. Evidence that its two particles are functionally defective and mutually complementing. Molecular and General Genetics 101:346–367