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Fatal Yellowing of Oil Palms: Search for Viroids and Double‐Stranded RNA
Author(s) -
Beuther E.,
Wiese U.,
Lukáacs N.,
Slobbe W. G.,
Riesner D.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of phytopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.53
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1439-0434
pISSN - 0931-1785
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0434.1992.tb01312.x
Subject(s) - viroid , biology , potato spindle tuber viroid , rna silencing , rna , virology , gel electrophoresis , nucleic acid , plant virus , microbiology and biotechnology , virus , gene , genetics , rna interference
Fatal yellowing is a serious disease of still unknown origin affecting oil palms in several regions of Central and South America. In this study a search for viroids and viroid‐like RNAs in oil palms was performed using two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis and return gel electrophoresis of nucleic acid extracts. Although RNAs showing viroid‐like gel‐electrophoretic properties were detected, the presence of the known viroids was excluded by hybridization experiments using probes specific for potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd), coconut cadang‐cadang viroid (CCCVd), or Coleus blumei viroid 1 (CbVd1). By using double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) specific monoclonal antibodies, which do not react with viroid RNA, we were able to show that oil palm RNAs, migrating like viroids are double‐stranded RNA species. Since the same dsRNA pattern was found in extracts from diseased as well as from healthy oil palms, the dsRNAs can neither be part of the causative agent of fatal yellowing, nor are they associated with the disease. Their possible origin is discussed. In addition to the standard electrophoretic methods, which have been used for identification of viroids and viroid‐like RNAs, we describe additional control experiments to differentiate unequivocally between circular single stranded and linear dsRNA.