Reversible Inhibition of Tobacco Mosaic Virus in Living Cells with 0.0002 Molar Sodium Cyanide

Abstract

Studies by a method descr. of living tobacco leaves inoculated with a single-lesion strain of severe mottling tobacco mosaic and of leaves of an F2 necrotizing Nicotiana hybrid indicated that, with respect to ability to multiply in living cells, the virus responds to 0.0002 [image] NaCN in much the same way as certain hematin-containing catalysts. This is taken to indicate that the virus mechanism either depends on the activity of hematin-containing respiratory catalysts of the cell or the virus protein itself may contain hematin or some similar structural unit that can be blocked reversibly by cyanide.