Projects / Programmes
Biological diversity among two grapevine viruses and their role in plant
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 1.03.00 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
Biology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| B310 |
Biomedical sciences |
Physiology of vascular plants |
biological diversity, viruses, grapevine, physiology, immunolocalisation, sequences
Researchers (9)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
The project proposal addresses the problem of variability in genome sequences among well established and wide-spread pathogenic viruses, and its biological role. We have chosen to investigate two grapevine viruses, Grapevine fan leaf virus (GFLV) and Grapevine rupestris stem pitting associated virus (GRSPaV). Both viruses have important economical impact in plant protection and phytosanitary selection of grapevine. GFLV causes severe disease fanleaf degeneration, and GRSPaV has been associated with the severe disease called rugose wood complex on grapevine. Both viruses are spread with planting material, and GFLV is naturally spread by its nematode vector Xiphinema index. There is no known natural vector of GRSPaV. Analyses of virus genomes showed that both viruses exist in nature as families of sequence variants. This indicates their natural biological variability. Preliminary analyses showed that several sequence variants of the same virus coexists in the same host plant, and that recombination between different variants can occur. The later could influence the dynamics of natural virus populations and consequently the spread and pathogenicity of the two viruses. The objectives are to 1) survey the natural variability (characterization of natural virus populations by analysis of selected genes), 2) studies of the dynamics of natural virus of GFLV and GRSPaV in Slovenia (studies of recombination events between different viral sequence variants by sequence analyses), and 3) investigate how natural variability and recombination events influence virus-host relationship (disease symptoms at the level of plants, tissues and cells). We will describe morphological characteristcs using immuno elctron microscopy on ultra thin sections.
