CONSTRUCTION AND DEMONSTRATION OF INFECTIVITY OF THE INFECTIOUS CLONE OF THE BIPARTITE GENOME OF TOMATO LEAF CURL PALAMPUR VIRUS-IRANIAN ISOLATE

Among begomoviruses infecting tomato, Tomato leaf curl Palampur virus-IR (ToLCPMV-IR) is the first bipartite begomovirus reported in Iran. To demonstrate infectivity of the bipartite genome and identify the experimental host range of the ToLCPMV-IR, dimer construct for each genomic component A and B was designed and constructed. The resulting clones were separately ligated to binary vector pGreen0029 and used simultaneously with pSoup (helper plasmid) to transform Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain C58. Agroinoculation with the cloned DNA of the ToLCPMV-IR genome resulted in the efficient infection of several experimental hosts such as cucumber, squash, tomato and three tobacco species but not watermelon. The virus was transmitted from agroinoculated plants to healthy squash seedlings by whitefly Bemisia tabaci, the natural vector of ToLCPMV-IR. Based on the results of this study, we demonstrate infectivity of the bipartite cloned genome of ToLCPMV-IR. The constructed infectious clone can be used for evaluation of the reaction of host plant cultivars and analysis the genes function.