Application of RT-PCR and MALDI-TOF MS for the detection of RNA luteovirus

Abstract There is a need for rapid and less expensive methods to identify RNA viruses, including luteoviruses, for practical use in agriculture and quarantine. The mass spectrometric cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (MS-CAPS) method, which detects enzymatically cleaved amplicons by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, was herein used together with a short RT-PCR to detect luteovirus in only 90 min. In addition, the matrixes 2′,4′,6′-trihydroxyacetophene and 3-hydroxypicolinic acid were compared for their effectiveness in the analysis of short single-stranded biotinylated DNA obtained by a MS-CAPS reaction.