PLASMODESMAL MODIFICATIONS AND DISTRIBUTION OF TOSPO VIRUS IN POTATO AND TOMATO
The tospovirus isolate on tomato was found to be systemic while the one on potato was non-systemic. The virus was present in all the tissues except xylem vessels in tomato, while it was often found only in the cortical cells of potato stems. Virions were detected in all cells of phloem tissue in tomato, while none were present in the case of potato. Plasmodesmata were present between phloem parenchyma and the phloem sieve tubes in infected tomato but none were present in infected potato. There were pronounced plasmodesmal changes in response to infection in tomato. These included dissolution of the desmotubule (central rod-like structure), making the plasmodesmata pore-like structures with a diameter of ca. 45 nm, which contained electron-dense material, presumably ribonucleoprotein of the virus. No such changes were found in infected potato. These results of comparative studies suggested that the virus was non-systemic in potato due to its non-loading into the phloem and consequently lacked long distance transport.