Monoclonal antibodies (MAb) specific for citrus tristeza virus (CTV) were obtained from hybrid cells produced by fusion of a non-secreting myeloma cell line with spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized with isolate T-308 of CTV. Three MAb were characterized for their immunoglobulin isotype and their titres in cell culture and ascites fluids. Each MAb was conjugated with alkaline phosphatase and...

Citrus is grown in more than 125 countries in a belt within 35° latitude north or south of the equator. The major limiting factor to citrus production is a requirement that the occurrence of freezing temperatures be of very short duration. Within the family Rutaceae, the genera Citrus (oranges, mandarins, pomelos, grapefruit, lemons, limes and citrons), Fortunella (kumquats) and Poncirus (trifo...

Virus-based vectors are important tools in plant molecular biology and plant genomics. A number of vectors based on viruses that infect herbaceous plants are in use for expression or silencing of genes in plants as well as screening unknown sequences for function. Yet there is a need for useful virus-based vectors for woody plants, which demand much greater stability because of the longer time ...

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) is among the most destructive pathogens of citrus and causes substantial economic losses in citrus-growing industry worldwide. Considering recent distribution of this pathogen and its capability of transmission by existing aphid vectors in Iran, detection of this virus is enforceable for controlling the damage caused by this pathogen in Iran, as one of the major citr...

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) outbreaks were detected in Sicily island, Italy for the first time in 2002. To gain insight into the evolutionary forces driving the emergence and phylogeography of these CTV populations, we determined and analyzed the nucleotide sequences of the p20 gene from 108 CTV isolates collected from 2002 to 2009. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis revealed that mild and severe C...