Lower temperature influences Cauliflower mosaic virus systemic infection

Lower temperatures delayed development of systemic symptoms by Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) in two different plant hosts. However, lower temperature exposure increased CaMV nucleic acid levels in leaves of systemically-infected turnips. Furthermore, lower temperature altered the formation of aggregates formed by the CaMV major inclusion body (IB) protein, P6. Finally, lower temperature altered the architecture of the actin cytoskeleton. These data may suggest that lower temperatures alter the actin cytoskeleton, facilitating the formation of larger IBs that hold on to their internal virions more strongly than small ones, impairing virus particle release and causing a delay in systemic infection.