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J Virol. 1967 April; 1(2): 430-444
Copyright © 1967 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Electron Microscopy of a Plant-Pathogenic Virus in the Nervous System of Its Insect Vector

^a Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Yonkers, New York 10701

ABSTRACT

The central nervous system of wound tumor virus (WTV)-infected Agallia constricta was studied by electron microscopy to obtain information concerning the virus distribution in the nervous system. Wound tumor virions were mostly found in the cytoplasm of the ganglion cells and less frequently in the glial cells. WTV was occasionally observed in the perineurium cells, nerve axons, tracheoblasts, and lateral nerves. In the ganglion cells, virions appeared as individual isolated particles (V₁), in tubular formation (V₂), and occasionally in aggregates (V₃). In the glial cells, the virions were mostly seen in the V₃ formation, and very seldom in the V₁ and V₂ formations. In the perineurium cells and tracheoblasts, only small V₃ formations were observed. The isolated virions were usually surrounded with polyribosomes, and often appeared around the foci of the viroplasm. Sometimes degenerating ganglion cells infected with the WTV were encountered. These damaged cells strongly indicated that WTV exerted a cytopathogenic effect on the nerve cells.

¹ On leave from the Department of Anatomy, Wakayama Medical College, Wakayami-shi, Japan.