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Identification and Subgrouping of Cucumber mosaic virus with Mouse Monoclonal Antibodies

First and second authors: Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705; third author: Institute of Agricultural Sciences, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan; fourth author: Agdia, Inc., Elkhart, IN 46514; fifth author: Botany and Plant Pathology Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907

Using a mixture of isolates of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) from subgroups I and II as immunogens, 20 mouse hybridoma cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies were produced. A reliable method for efficient detection and accurate subgrouping of CMV isolates has been developed. Tests with 12 well-characterized strains of CMV and other cucumoviruses demonstrated the presence of epitopes that were virus and subgroup specific. Analyses of 109 accessions of CMV isolates collected from various parts of the world revealed 70% were subgroup I, with 20% identified as subgroup II. Seven isolates (6%) did not react with group-specific antibodies but did react with antibodies that recognized all CMV isolates. Differential reactions among isolates suggested a total of 10 epi-topes were recognized. The antigenic diversity among subgroup II CMVs was greater than for the subgroup I isolates, even though fewer subgroup II isolates were tested.