Development of a triple antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for cassava mosaic disease detection using a monoclonal antibody to Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus.

Background: Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) is one of the most devastating viral diseases for cassava production in Africa and Asia. Accurate yet affordable diagnostics are one of the fundamental tools supporting successful CMD management, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to develop an antibody-based immunoassay for the detection of Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus (SLCMV), the only cassava mosaic begomovirus currently causing CMD outbreaks in Southeast Asia (SEA).

Development and application of triple antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for begomovirus detection using monoclonal antibodies against Tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand virus.

Background: Tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand virus, TYLCTHV, is a begomovirus that causes severe losses of tomato crops in Thailand as well as several countries in Southeast and East Asia. The development of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and serological methods for detecting TYLCTHV is essential for epidemiological studies and screening for virus-resistant cultivars.

Methods: The recombinant coat protein (CP) of TYLCTHV was expressed in Escherichia coli and used to generate MAbs against TYLCTHV through hybridoma technology.

Genome-wide screen identifies host genes affecting viral RNA recombination.

Rapid evolution of RNA viruses with mRNA-sense genomes is a major concern to health and economic welfare because of the devastating diseases these viruses inflict on humans, animals, and plants. To test whether host genes can affect the evolution of RNA viruses, we used a Saccharomyces cerevisiae single-gene deletion library, which includes approximately 80% of yeast genes, in RNA recombination studies based on a small viral replicon RNA derived from tomato bushy stunt virus. The genome-wide screen led to the identification of five host genes whose absence resulted in the rapid generation of new viral RNA recombinants.