The comparative susceptibilities of cultured vector and nonvector leafhopper cells to three plant viruses

Abstract

The susceptibilities of established leafhopper cell lines from Agallia constricta (AC), Aceratagallia sanguinolenta (AS), and Agalliopsis novella (AN) were compared with one another when inoculated with wound tumor virus (WTV), the constricta variety of potato yellow dwarf virus (CYDV), and the sanguinolenta variety of potato yellow dwarf virus (SYDV). The comparative susceptibility of an established cell line from Dalbulus elimatus (DE) to these viruses was also determined. D. elimatus is not closely related to agallian leafhoppers nor has it been shown to be a vector of any of the above viruses. Vector AC cells and AN cells were about equally susceptible to WTV. The susceptibility of nonvector AS cells to WTV was about 0 · 064 times that of the vector AC and AN cells. Despite the insect-virus relationships, all cell lines derived from agallian leafhoppers were about equally susceptible to CYDV and SYDV. Concentrations of WTV and CYDV which gave about 25% infection on vector AC cells failed to infect DE cells. On the contrary, SYDV infected the nonvector DE cells although the incidence of infection was only about 0.0027 times that of vector AS cells.