Identification of tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) Tobamovirus using monoclonal antibodies

Abstract

Tomato is a highly important crop for the world economy, and very susceptible to virus diseases, among them the tomato mosaic tobamovirus (ToMV), which causes light and dark green mosaic in the leaves, decreases yield, among other symptoms. With the aim of early identifying ToMV in biological material, harvested from crop fields, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were produced against ToMV. The MAb 10.H1 tested through PTA-ELISA (Plate Trapped Antigen--Enzyme-Linked immunosorbent assay), does not cross-react with TMV (tobacco mosaic tobamovirus) or with proteins extracted from plant sap. The MAb was able to identify ToMV from infected plants. The ToMV was isolated, purified and used to re-inoculate tobacco and tomato plants to confirm the symptoms. In immunoblotting assays the MAb recognizes only the band corresponding to the coat protein of the ToMV (17.5 kDa). The MAb 10.H1 opens the possibility to identify ToMV in tomato seedlings avoiding its dissemination in cropped fields.