Cucumovirus Isolation and RNA Extraction

The Cucumoviruses are tripartite (+) sense RNA viruses in the Bromoviridae family of plant viruses. The genus includes cucumber mosaic virus (CMV, the type species), peanut stunt virus (PSV), and tomato aspermy virus (TAV) (reviewed in refs. 1 and 2 ). A fourth member, bean distortion mosaic virus (BDiMV), has also been proposed as a new species (3 ). CMV is further divided into two subgroups, based on hybridization data and serology (2 ). PSV probably also contains at least two subgroups, and perhaps as many as six (4 ). CMV has the broadest host range of any known plant virus, infecting up to 1000 species of plants, and inducing a very wide range of symptoms in infected plants (2 ). PSV has a narrower host range, infecting predominantly solanaceous plants and legumes, and TAV is predominantly restricted to solanaceous plants and composites (1 ). Symptoms for all of the cucumoviruses may include stunting, mosaic, and leaf distortion, and may range from mild to severe.