Abstract
Viroids that belong to genera Avsunviroid and Pelamovirod (family Avsunviroidae) replicate and accumulate in the chloroplasts of infected cells. In this report, we confirmed by RNA in situ hybridization using digoxigenin-UTP-labelled riboprobes that the positive strands of eggplant latent viroid (ELVd), the only member of genus Elaviroid within the family Avsunviroidae, also accumulate in the chloroplasts of infected cells. However, comparison of ELVd in situ hybridization signals with those from bona fide chloroplastic and nuclear non-coding RNAs, such as chloroplast 5S rRNA and U1 small nuclear RNA, supports the notion that this viroid is also present in the nuclei of infected cells. These results suggest that the subcellular localization of viroids within the family Avsunviroidae may be more complex than previously assumed with dynamic presence in several compartments during the infectious cycle.