Open Access

SHORT COMMUNICATION

A Gel-Free Budget-Friendly Approach to GFP-Tagged Viruses Quantification in Plant Samples

Rohith Grandhi, Mélodie B. Plourde, Aditi Balasubramani, Hugo Germain^*

Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry, Physics and Forensic Science, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Québec, G9A 5H9, Canada

* Corresponding Author: Hugo Germain. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Multi-Level Mechanisms in Plant-Pathogen Interactions)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(5), 1497-1504. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.063974

Received 31 January 2025; Accepted 03 April 2025; Issue published 29 May 2025

Abstract

Viral diseases are an important threat to crop yield, as they are responsible for losses greater than US$30 billion annually. Thus, understanding the dynamics of virus propagation within plant cells is essential for devising effective control strategies. However, viruses are complex to propagate and quantify. Existing methodologies for viral quantification tend to be expensive and time-consuming. Here, we present a rapid cost-effective approach to quantify viral propagation using an engineered virus expressing a fluorescent reporter. Using a microplate reader, we measured viral protein levels and we validated our findings through comparison by western blot analysis of viral coat protein, the most common approach to quantify viral titer. Our proposed methodology provides a practical and accessible approach to studying virus-host interactions and could contribute to enhancing our understanding of plant virology.

---

Keywords

---