Mutation rates vary by orders of magnitude across biological systems, being higher for simpler genomes. The simplest known genomes correspond to viroids, subviral plant replicons constituted by circular non-coding RNAs of few hundred bases. Previous work has revealed an extremely high mutation rate for chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid, a chloroplast-replicating viroid. However, whether thi...

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a distant relative of plant viroids in the animal world. Similar to plant viroids, HDV replicates its circular RNA genome using a double rolling-circle mechanism. Nevertheless, the production of hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg), which is indispensible for HDV replication, is a unique feature distinct from plant viroids, which do not encode any protein. Here the HDV ...

Viroids are non-encapsidated, non-coding, circular, single-stranded RNAs (ssRNAs). They are classified into the families Pospiviroidae and Avsunviroidae, whose members replicate in the nucleus and chloroplast of plant cells, respectively. Viroids have a wide host range, including crop and ornamental plants, and can cause devastating diseases with significant economic losses. Thus, several viroi...

The chrysanthemum (Dendranthema X grandiflorum) belongs to the family Asteraceae and it is one of the most popular flowers in the world. Viroids are the smallest known plant pathogens. They consist of a circular, single-stranded RNA, which does not encode a protein. Chrysanthemums are a common host for two different viroids, the Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd) and the Chrysanthemum chlorotic ...

Double stranded cDNA of cucumber pale fruit viroid (CPFV) has been cloned by the method of Okayama and Berg (Mol.Cell.Biol.2,161-170 (1982)) and the complete nucleotide sequence was established. The covalently closed circular molecules of single-stranded CPFV RNA consists of 303 nucleotides. The nucleotide sequence of CPFV was compared with the previously established sequence of hop stunt viroi...

Cell-free synthesis of citrus exocortis viroid (CEV) in nuclei-rich preparations from infected Gynura aurantiaca was optimum at 18-24 degrees C. Incubation of reaction mixtures at higher temperatures (30-36 degrees C) resulted in an increase of CEV linear molecules and the recovery of incomplete or nicked newly synthesized RNA species. Although the Mg(2+) optimum (2.5-5 mM) for CEV synthesis wa...

A 23-kD pathogenesis-related protein (P23) is induced in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill, cv Rutgers) plants when infected with citrus exocortis viroid. This protein is homologous to the salt-induced tomato NP24 protein (I. Rodrigo, P. Vera, R. Frank, V. Conejero [1991] Plant Mol Biol 16: 931-934). Further characterization of P23 has shown that this protein accumulates in vacuoles in assoc...

Highly purified isolates of potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTV) from Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Rutgers and citrus exocortis viroid (CEV) from Gynura aurantiaca have been compared. Two-dimensional fingerprinting analysis of PSTVand CEV-RNA labeled in vitro with lzrI has demonstrated that (i) each of these RNA species has a complexity compatible with the size estimate of 250X350 nucleotides and ...

Viroids are small (about 300 nucleotides), single-stranded, circular, non-encapsidated pathogenic RNA molecules. They do not code for proteins and thus depend on plant host enzymes for their replication and other functions. They induce plant diseases by direct interaction with host factors but the mechanism of pathogenicity is still unknown. They can alter the expression of selected plant genes...