Characteristics of Pathogenesis-Related Proteins Induced in Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Pinto Following Viral Infection

Ten acidic and eight basic pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins were induced in primary leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Pinto following infection with southern bean mosaic virus (SBMV), a virus that induces circular, brown necrotic local lesions. These PR proteins included: four, 17 kDa, serologically related, acidic proteins of unknown functions; two chitinases, one acidic (29 kDa) and one basic (32 kDa) possessing antifungal activities; and four (21 kDa, 28 kDa, 29 kDa, 36 kDa) serologically related, acidic glucanases. The production of PR proteins was minimal during the period of active SBMV multiphcation; greatest increase of PR proteins occurred after SBMV had reached a maximum level. Several of these PR proteins, including the 29 kDa acidic chitinase and two acidic glucanases (21 kDa and 36 kDa) accumulated in the intercellular space fluid. Similar PR proteins were synthesized in Pinto bean primary leaves infects with any of three other viruses that formed lesions of divergent phenotypes. However, the proportion of some of the PR proteins in the various lesion-types differed considerably. These results indicate that PR proteins play no active role in viral localization or inactivation and that their production is a metabolic adjustment to endogenous stress