Yellow mosaic symptom caused by the nuclear shuttle protein gene of mungbean yellow mosaic virus is associated with single-stranded DNA accumulation and mesophyll spread of the virus.

Mungbean yellow mosaic virus-[India:Vigna] (MYMV-[IN:Vig]), a blackgram isolate of MYMV, causes yellow mosaic disease in blackgram and mungbean. Two variable DNA-B components, KA22 and KA27, cause distinct symptoms in blackgram [V. mungo (L.) Hepper] with the same DNA-A component. KA22 + DNA-A-agroinoculated blackgram plants displayed yellow mosaic symptom and accumulated high levels of viral single-stranded (ss) DNA. KA27 + DNA-A-agroinoculated blackgram plants displayed severe stunting symptom and accumulated very low levels of viral ssDNA. However, in mungbean [V. radiata (L.) Wilczek], KA27 + DNA-A caused yellow mosaic symptom and a high level of viral ssDNA accumulated. Swapping of KA27 DNA-B with the nuclear shuttle protein gene (NSP) of KA22 DNA-B (KA27xKA22 NSP) caused yellow mosaic symptom in blackgram, suggesting that KA22 NSP is the determinant of yellow mosaic symptom. Interestingly, KA27xKA22 NSP-infected blackgram plants accumulated high levels of viral ssDNA, comparable to that of KA22 DNA-B infection, suggesting that the KA22 NSP is responsible for accumulation of high levels of viral ssDNA. MYMV distribution was studied in blackgram and mungbean plants by leaf tissue hybridization, which showed mesophyll spread of the virus in KA22-infected blackgram leaflets and in KA27-infected mungbean leaflets, both of which displayed yellow mosaic symptom. However, the virus did not accumulate in the mesophyll in the case of KA27-infected blackgram leaflets. Interestingly, the swapped KA27xKA22 NSP-infected blackgram leaflets showed mesophyll accumulation of the virus, suggesting that KA22 NSP determines its mesophyll spread.