In article <MAILQUEUE-101.930709112659.689 at micro.uct.ac.za> ED at micro.uct.ac.za ("Ed Rybicki") writes:
>From: ED at micro.uct.ac.za ("Ed Rybicki")
<<<stuff deleted>>>>
>Yeeeessss....BUT that is cleverly getting around the point that plant
>viruses without membranes (as those with are probably all insect viruses
>which multiply in the vector) do not appear to have receptors at the cell
>surface; they all appear to get into cells as a result of damage to the
>wall and membrane (re: Verduin's work on CCMV), after which event they
>uncoat, probably using ribosomes (TMV and various sphericals). SO the
>little buggers have evolved towards a lifestyle that makes use of
>transient breaches of cell integrity as a means of entry. Not very
>elegant, is it?
I think it is rather elegant ! Just think, not to have to worry about making a
cell receptor and just being able to 'hang' around cells until some vector
comes along, sucks you up and transmit you to the next host ! The constraints
placed on animal virus structures dealing with cell entry is substantial. Even
more so with arboviruses, where receptors have to contend with vertebrate and
invertebrate host cells. I don't know a lot about plant virus evolution, so
can someone put me in the picture how conserved surface structure sequence at
the a.a. level is in plant viruses ?
Kindest regards,
Robert
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Dr R.J. Coelen phone 61 - 9 - 389 3915
Dept of Microbiology fax 61 - 9 - 389 2912
University of Western Australia snail Nedlands, 6009
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