Identification of one of the major viruses infecting garlic plants, garlic virus X.

A partial cDNA clone for garlic virus X (GVX) was isolated. GVX was identified immunologically with an antibody raised against the recombinant coat protein (CP) and demonstrated to be one of the major viruses infecting garlic plants showing mosaic or streak symptoms. GVX belongs to an unassigned group of ShVX and GarV-type viruses rather than to carlaviruses or potexviruses. The recombinant CP of GVX was purified by Ni(2+)-NTA affinity chromatography. Anti-GVX CP antibody was raised against the purified recombinant CP. GVX particle is flexuous, rod-shaped, and about 750 nm long as determined by immunoelectron microscopy. The extent of infection by GVX of garlic plants was analyzed by Northern or immunoblot analyses of individual garlic plants cultivated in different regions. These results showed that almost all of the garlic plants tested from 40 different regions including America, China, Japan, and Korea are infected with GVX.