Functional Analysis of the Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus(TSWV) NSm Protein by Using Immunoblotting and Immunogold Labelling Assay

The genome of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is composed of three RNA segments, S, M, and L RNA and the 5.0 kb M RNA encodes two glycoproteins Gl, G2 and NSm protein of unknown function. In an effort to investigate the function of the NSm protein, antibody was raised against NSm fusion protein overexpressed in Escherichia coli. This antibody was used to detect the NSm protein by using western blot analysis and electron microscopic observation after immunogold labelling. For the cloning of the NSm gene, total RNA extracted from a TSWV infected plant was used for cDNA synthesis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) instead of going through time-consuming virus purification. A protein band specifically reacting to the NSm antibody was detected from TSWV inoculated plants. The NSm protein was detected in the cell wall fraction and in pellet from low speed centrifugation when the infected plant tissue was fractionated into 4 fractions. In the immuno-electron microscopic observation, gold particles were found around the plasmodesmata of infected plant tissue. These results suggest that the NSm protein of TSWV plays some role in cell-to-cell movement of this virus.