A feature of the coat protein of potato virus X affects both induced virus resistance in potato and viral fitness.

The coat protein of PVX determines whether isolates of PVX are affected by Rx-mediated resistance in potato. Isolates with the coat protein of PVXHB are not affected by the resistance; those with the coat protein of PVXUK3 elicit an extreme resistance in the Rx potato that prevents virus accumulation, even on the inoculated leaf. In this paper we describe the analysis of a series of hybrid and mutant isolates of PVXHB and PVXCP4 which were inoculated to plants and protoplasts of Rx and rx cultivars of potato. From the virulence phenotypes of these isolates we conclude that elicitation of the resistance is affected by amino acids 121 and 127 of the viral coat protein, with codon 121 being the major determinant. PVXHB and hybrid or mutant isolates with lysine and arginine at positions 121 and 127 were able to overcome the resistance of Rx, whereas those with threonine and arginine were resistance sensitive both on plants and in protoplasts. The viral isolates with single mutations at either codon 121 or 127 were less infectious than the wild-type or double mutant isolates although, in protoplasts of the susceptible cultivar of potato, they accumulated as well as the wild-type virus. Taken together these data suggest that amino acids 121 and 127 affect a feature of the viral coat protein which may interact with cellular components involved in the spread of PVX and with the product of the Rx resistance gene.