Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV): Diagram, Structure, & its Applications

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is a plant pathogen, it is a virus that belongs to the genus Tobamovirus and belongs to the family Virgaviridae. Tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) is known to majorly affect tobacco and other plants belonging to the Solanaceae family like potatoes and tomatoes. The tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) causes a mosaic-like pattern on the leaves of the infected plants and also shows discoloration.

Discovery of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)

Adolf Mayer was a German scientist who first described the Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Dmitri Ivanowsky was a Russian microbiologist who started investigating the tobacco mosaic disease and concluded it was a non-bacterial. Mayer’s work was very important in recognizing the disease but it was Martinus Beijerinck who later used the term virus to describe the disease-causing agent as it was smaller than bacteria. This discovery was the base for virology and understanding plant diseases and viral infections.

Diagram of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)

The labelled diagram of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is given below:

Structure of Tobacco Mosaic Virus

• Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) is rod or filamentous shaped virus with a length ranging approximately 300 nanometers.
• The capsid is the outer protein that covers virus, while capsomeres are the subunits that join to make up the entire structure called capsid.
• Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) contains a single-stranded RNA genome as the genetic material representing it as an RNA virus.
• The protein subunits in Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) are arranged in a helical fashion around the RNA,this structure represents helical symmetry
• The Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) is encapsulated inside a protein coat composed of identical protein sub-units, forming a helical capsid.
• The capsid provide stability for the virus as it is made up of protein subunits arranged in a repeated pattern .
• The RNA genome is almost 6395 nucleotide long approximately and found in a coiled manner.
• The capsids in the Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) are made up of 2130 identical protein subunits. These proteins come together around the virus’s single-stranded RNA to create a twisted or helical structure.

Characteristics of Tobacco Mosaic Virus

Characterisctics of Tobacco Mosaic Virus are given below:

Characteristics	Details
Name	Tobacco Mosaic Virus(TMV)
Size	diameter of 18-20 nm,300 nm in length
Shape	Filamentous/Rod-shaped
Genetic Material	(ss-RNA)Single-stranded RNA
Symmetry	helical symmetry
Nucleotide length	6395 nucleotide long approximately
Discovery	Martinus Beijerinck in 1898
Host Range	affect tobacco, plants belonging to Solanaceae family; potato and tomato

Life Cycle of Tobacco Mosaic Virus

Insects such as flies serve as vectors for the Tobacco mosaic virus(TMV).They enter the plant host cells through them. The virus multiplies once it has entered the host cell and move to other cells using plasmodesmata. By coming into close touch with the diseased plants tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) spread to other healthy plants.

The viral particle transfer its genomic material into the host cell for other functions such as replication and proliferation. Then, the ssRNA translates mRNAs that are capable of replicating the capsid proteins and the viral genome. Each of these proteins comes together to create a new tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) cell that is prepared to infect another healthy cell.

Applications of Tobacco Mosaic Virus

Applications of TVM are given below:

• In the field of biotechnology, tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) is used to introduce genes into plant cells,they are used to improve crop yield and quality.
• When tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) is modified for various applications in biotechnology, its disease-causing properties or genes are removed, tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) is modified as viral vector that helps targeted gene introduction,
• Tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) play a major role in improving farming methods and investigating various approaches in the domains of biotechnology and plant engineering.

In summary the tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) is a rod-shaped virus with a protein shell called a capsid that encloses a single-stranded RNA molecule giving tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) its distinct structure. The structure plays a major role for the structure and functioning of the tobacco mosaic virus(TMV).

FAQ’s – Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV)

1. What is the Host Range of Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV)?

Tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) is known to majorly affect tobacco and other plants belonging to Solanaceae family like potato and tomato. It does not infect animals or humans

2. What is the Shape of the Tobacco Mosaic Virus(TMV)?

The tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) is either Filamentous or rod-shaped virus. It is a distinctive feature of tobacco mosaic virus(TMV).

3. How many Genes does Tobacco Mosaic Virus(TMV) have?

The tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) consist of four genes.Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) has a relatively simple and unique genome compared to more complex organisms

4. Can Tobacco Mosaic Virus(TMV) affect Humans?

No,It cannot infect humans or any other mammals.Tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) is a plant pathogen known to majorly affect tobacco and other plants belonging to Solanaceae family like potato and tomato.

5. Does Tobacco Mosaic Virus(TMV) have DNA or RNA as its Genetic material?

Tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) consist of single stranded RNA (ss RNA) as its genetic material,unlike some organisms that use DNA as their genetic material