History of Plant Virology

Viruses and organisms confused

with viruses

752 BC- Ref. in poem by one of the Japanese

Empress named Koken in which she described the

yellow leaf symptoms of Eupatorium.

1576, Carolus Clusius -Tulip color breaking- is the

oldest known example of virus disease

1692- Yellow stripe of Jasmine was found to be

caused by Jasmine mottle virus.

1791- Peach yellows was observed in USA

1869- Abutilon leaf variegation was known in

France and Belgium.

Seventeenth century – “tulipomania”

1882-1886: Actual era of Plant Virology started with scientific investigation by Adolf Mayer

1886- Adolf Mayer – infectious sap from tobacco induce disease; gave term Mosaikkrankheit for mosaic

1892 Ivanowski – Sap retained infectivity even after filtration through chamberland porcelain filter, doubted toxin produced by bacterium as cause.

1893-94 Hashimoto, a Rice grower in Japan suspected the relation between rice leaf hopper and rice dwarf disease- so is considered as first evidence of vector transmission (Later established by Fukushi).

1898 M. W. Beijerinck– in Netherland finally established the cause of tobacco mosaic disease and named the agent as “Contagium vivum fluidum”- gave the term Virus. Published paper “ Uber ein Contagium vivum fluidum als Ursache der Fleckenkrankheit der Tabaksblatter” ----- called

Father of Plant Virology

1904- Baur experimentally proved that Abutilon variegation is transmitted by grafting not by sap.

1923- Schultz & Murphy identified Aphids as vector of viruses.

1928- H. Purdy Beale – TMV infected plants contained antigenic material, opened the door in development of plant virology

Gratia (1933)- plants infected with diff. viruses contain diff. antigens

Chester (1935-36): serological differentiation of TMV & PVX strains

1929 Holmes– “Local lesion assay”

1929- Mckinney observed the phenomenon of cross protection

1931- K.M. Smith – Use of indicator plants in virus studies, helped in purifying the virus.

1932- Knoll & Ruska invented Electron Microscope.

1935 W. M. Stanley– “Isolation of crystalline protein possessing the properties of TMV”; Shared Nobel prize 1946

1936 Bawden and Pirie – reported that TMV contains nucleoprotein (5%)

1937 Best- finally confirmed nucleoprotein nature of TMV

1937- Kunkel showed that the Aster yellows virus multiplies in its leaf hopper vector.

1939 -Kausche, Pflankuch & Ruska– were the first to observe TMV under electron microscope

1940- Fukushi– Transovarial transmission of rice dwarf virus

1944 Williams and Wycoff– Metal Shadowing that enabled the

detail of virus particles

1949-Markham & Smith found that the purified Turnip yellow

mosaic virus contained two types of particles one contained 35%

RNA and were infectious where as other had no RNA thus not

infective.

1951- K. Brakke developed the method of density gradient

centrifugation of plant viruses.

1952- Hershey & Chase demonstrated the infection behaviour

of bacteriophage and showed that only DNA enter the host cell

and protein remain outside

1955- Frankel Conrat & Williams reconstituted the virus TMV

1956- Gierer & Schramm (Germany( & Frankel Conrat showed that only nucleic acid of TMV is infective and protein coat does not have any role in infection.

1956- Krick & Watson gave the general theory of structure of capsid of virus; the cp made up of numerous identical subunits as helicle rods or spherical shell.

1957- Brandes developed leaf dip method of electron microscopy

1958- Bancroft & Kaesberg observed that Alfalfa mosaic virus contain multiple components.

1960-Teakle made a significant observation that TNV can be transmitted by fungus Olpidium brassicae- a fungus virus vector

1960- Anderer et al., & Tsugita et al., were the first to develop the full amino acid sequence of TMV protein coat (158 aa units).

1959 Horne– Negative staining of modern day electron microscopy

1962- Kassanis– coined the term Satellite virus, associated with TNV

1963- Black & Markham demonstrated that wound Tumor virus contain dsRNA

1996,1968- Lister discovered the bipartite genome of TRV by sucrose density gradient centrifugation.

1967- Doi et. al.; Ishiie et. al.,– MLO in Mulberry dwarf, aster yellow and potato witches broom

1968- Shepherd et al., observed that CaMV contain DNA

1970– Harrison et.al. mitochondria is

concerned with the replication of Tobacco

rattle virus; Classified the plant viruses into

16 groups (1971); coined the term

Geminiviruses (1976)

1970- Taylor and Robertson Nematode

transmission

1971– T. O. Diener: PSTVd – Viroid

1971– Lane and Kaesberg brome mosaic

virus, has split genome

1972- Davis et al. Spiroplasmas

1973- Goheen et al. observed RLO’s – alfaalfa dwarf & Pierce disease of grapevine.

1975– Kohler and Milstein “Hybridoma technology” in monoclonal antibodies production – Nobel prize in 1984

1976 – Voller et. al.: developed ELISA technique

1977- Clark & Adam: used ELISA in Plant virus detection

1977- Harrison et al. coined the term gemini virus ; transmitted by white fly and have dsDNA

1980- Frazier and Converse– genome sequence of ds DNA of CaMV (8000bp sequence).

1982- Keese and Symons– discovered virusoids

1984- Prusiner- discovered Prions in animals: Nobel Prize in 1997 in Medicines

1986- Powell-Abel et al– C.P. mediated resistance in TMV.

1989- Hiatt et al., reported that transgenic tobacco can be induced to produce antibodies

1991- Gallitelli et al. - commercial application of cross protection (Tomato-CMV; 95% protection)

Maxwell (1993) – determined the complete nucleotide sequence of bean dwarf mosaic virus

Beachy et al. (1997) – elucidated the mechanism of coat protein mediated resistance.

2001- Li et al., reported the role of proteins present in the head tissue of aphid vector in the transmission of the virus- they found two proteins as receptor of BYDV; they act as sensors and if absent in any aphid no transmission occurs

2004- Boorod et al. established that single chain antibodies for a viral RNA dependent polymerases confer resistance to three viruses of Tombusviridae- type member Tomato bushy stunt virus.

2006- A.N Fire & C.C. Mello were awarded Nobel Prize for their work RNA interference- Gene silencing by dsRNA.

Phytopathological classics 1. Fabricius – Attempt at a Dissertation on the Disease

of plants. Ravn (1774)

2. Fontana – Observation on Rust of Grain 1767. Pirone (1932)

3. Millardet – the discovery of Bordeaux Mixture 1885. Schneiderhan (1933)

4. Woronin – Plasmodiophora brassicae, the Cause of the Cabbage Hernia 1878. Charles Chupp (1934)

5. Tillet – Disseretation on the Cause of the Corruption and Smutting of the Kernels of Wheat in the Head ( and on the means of preventing these untoward circumstances) 1755. Humphrey (1937)

6. Prevost – Memoir on the Immediate Cause of Bunt or Smut of Wheat, and on the Prevention of Bunt 1807. Keitt (1939)

7. Mayer (1886), Ivanowski (1892), Beijerinck (1898) and Baurb (1904) – three early papers on tobacco mosaic and one on infectious variegation. James Johnson (1942)

8. Berkeley – Observations, Botanical and Physiological, on the Potato Murrain 1846. also includes selections from Berkeley’s “Vegetable Pathology” made by the Plant Pathology Committee of British Mycological Society.1948

9. Targioni Tozzeti – True Nature and Sad Effects of the Rust and Other Maladies of Wheat and of Oats in the Field1767. Tehon (1952)

10. Bassi – Del Mal del Segno 1835. Yarrow (1958)

11.De Bary – Investigations of the Fungi and the Diseases of Plants Caused by Them With Reference to Grain and Other Useful Plants 1853. Arny and Moore (1969)

12. Hartig – Important Diseases of Forest Trees 1874. detailed report which established the microbial basis for wood decay. Merrill et.al.,(1975)

13.Fischer/Smith – The Fischer Smith Controversy: Are Their Bacterial Diseases of Plants? 1899. Seven articles depict vthe classic and bitter debate regarding the existence of bacterial diseases of plants. Cambell (1981)

14. Ando/ Fukushi/ Storey – Viruses In Vectors: Transovarial Passage and Retention. Classic papers on plant viruses and their insect vectors 1986.

15. Dutch Elm Disease – Original 11 Articles. That laid the foundation for studying the devastating disease. Research by 7 female Dutch scientists from 1920 - 1935