Construction and characterization of an infectious cDNA clone of turtle grass virus X from a naturally infected Thalassia testudinum plant.

ABSTRACT: Seagrasses are a polyphyletic group of marine flowering plants that play crucial roles in nearshore ecology, yet their interactions with viruses remain largely unexplored. This study presents the construction and characterization of an infectious cDNA clone of the potexvirus turtle grass virus X (TGVX). The complete genome of this positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus was amplified from field samples of Thalassia testudinum and assembled into a pLX-based mini binary vector using a multi-fragment directional cloning strategy, resulting in the infectious clone pLX-TGVX. Agroinfection assays of potexvirus-free T. testudinum plants resulted in systemic infections by TGVX, as confirmed by multiplex RT-PCR experiments and phenotypic changes reflecting virus-induced symptoms. Ult

SUBMITTER: Alvarado-Marchena L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11708015 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature