M13KO7 bacteriophage enables Potato Virus Y detection

Potato virus Y (PVY) is one of the foremost plant viruses affecting potato plants and production. Many diagnostic and detection techniques are available to detect and prevent the spread of this virus. Serological analyses, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), are widely used in laboratories as well as in the field. In addition, recently, serological methods using whole or recombinant antibodies have been developed. However, these antibodies are unstable under certain chemical conditions and can be easily degraded by exposure to enzymes. M13KO7, a derivative of bacteriophage M13, with a filamentous structure similar to PVY, was used for antibody screening. We found that PVY and "bald" M13KO7 had binding activity similar to that of antigen-antibody in ELISA analyses. The binding interactions between PVY and M13KO7 were highly specific. A new method for detecting PVY using ELISA analysis with M13KO7 was developed in this study. These results provide new insights into two virus-binding interactions and novel systems for the detection of plant viruses.