Genetic variability of tobacco streak virus in South India based on the analysis of coat protein gene

Tobacco streak virus (TSV), a member of the genus Ilarvirus, family Bromoviridae is an important viral pathogen in peanut and other crops in South India. Fifteen TSV isolates naturally infecting groundnut, sunflower, onion, black gram, green gram, jute, tagetes, calotropis, pumpkin, watermelon and kenaf plants were collected from fields in different regions of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Virus was identified as TSV by direct antigen coating enzyme linked immunosorbent assay using TSV antiserum. The CP gene from each isolate was amplified using TSV coat protein specific primers. About 700 bp product was amplified, cloned, sequenced and determined its length as 717 nucleotides and codes for 239 amino acids. The sequence analysis revealed that the CP gene shared 91–100% and 91–99% sequence identity with TSV at nucleotide and amino acid level, respectively. The phylogenetic relationship based on the nucleotide sequence of these isolates from different geographical regions was also analysed in this study.     

Konjac mosaic virus Naturally Infecting Three Aroid Plant Species in Andhra Pradesh,India

The genomes of three potyvirus isolates from, respectively, naturally infected Colocasia esculenta, Caladium spp. and Dieffenbachia spp. in Andhra Pradesh, India, were amplified by RT‐PCR using degenerate potyvirus primers. Sequence analysis of RT‐PCR amplicons (1599 nucleotides) showed maximum identity of 97% with the KoMV‐Zan isolate of Konjac mosaic virus (KoMV) from Taiwan (A/C AF332872). The three isolates had a maximum identity of 99.4%. The length of coat protein (CP) gene of three isolates was 846 nucleotides encoding 282 amino acids with a deduced size of 32.25 kDa. The CP gene of the isolates had, respectively, 78.1–95.7% and 88.2–96.4% identity at nucleotide and amino acid levels with KoMV isolates. The CP gene of the three isolates had 93.1–100% (nucleotide) and 98.2–100% (amino acid) identity. The 3′‐UTR of the three isolates showed maximum identity of 91.1–100% identity between and with other KoMV isolates. In the CP amino acid–based phylogenetic analyses, the isolates branched as a distinct cluster along with known KoMV isolates. The three potyvirus isolates associated with mosaic, chlorotic feathery mottling, chlorotic spots, leaf deformation and chlorotic ring spots on three aroids were identified as isolates of KoMV for the first time from Andhra Pradesh, India.     

Molecular characterization of distinct YMV (Yellow mosaic virus) isolates affecting pulses in India with the aid of coat protein gene as a marker for identification

The present study was carried out to find out the variations present in different isolates of yellow mosaic virus (YMV) causing yellow mosaic disease of pulses in southern parts of India. The coat protein gene of YMV was amplified using gene specific and deng universal primers with DNA isolated from YMV infected samples. Further, cloning and DNA sequencing of CP gene was carried out. CP gene decrypt sequences revealed that YMV infected samples of Black gram, Cowpea and Green gram were similar to the MYMV-Tamil Nadu isolates. Whereas the YMV infected sample of Horse gram was found to be similar with HYMV. Hence, in the present study, two distinct YMV infecting pulses in Tamil Nadu (MYMV and HYMV species) were identified and it was observed that there exists considerable genetic variation among these species. In addition, Cowpea crop which was earlier supposed not to be susceptible for YMV infection also showed the presence of this virus similar to the MYMV. Overall, the findings of the present study indicate that the CP region is efficient enough to provide a simple, rapid, and reliable method for early detection of YMV infections in pulses, which would help to develop proper management strategies to control these viruses.     

Novel root nodule bacteria belonging to the genus Caulobacter

Aims: Aim of this study is to determine the genetic variation of rhizobia associated with horse gram [Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam.) Verdc.] plants grown in different regions of Andhra Pradesh, India. Methods and Results: Four representative isolates having most representative characters from the previous characterization were selected for 16S rRNA sequence. The sequences were submitted to the NCBI GenBank and Ribosomal Database Project (RDP). The isolates HGR‐4, 6 and 13 showed more than 99% homology between them and they were grouped with Rhizobium reference strains where as the isolate HGR‐25 showed 87·1, 87·4 and 87·2% homology with the isolates HGR‐4, 6 and 13, respectively, and were grouped with reference strains for Caulobacter. The nodulation ability of these isolates on horse gram was confirmed by inoculation tests. Conclusions: The isolate HGR‐25 was identified as Caulobacter isolated from the plants growing in soil samples collected from Khareemnagar district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Inoculation tests revealed that Caulobacter formed nodules on horse gram. It was also confirmed by RDP. Significance and Impact of the Study: This is the first report that a legume was nodulated by a member of the genus Caulobacter, which belongs to the family Caulobacteriaceae in the order Caulobacterales of Alphaproteobacteria.     

A mixture of begomoviruses in leaf curl-affected tobacco in Karnataka, South India

Tobacco leaf curl is widespread in several states in India including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Bihar and West Bengal. Tobacco leaf curl virus (TbLCV) isolates collected from five different parts of India induced four distinct symptom phenotypes (group I, II, III & IV) on tobacco cultivars Samsun and Anand 119 (Valand & Muniyappa, 1992). PCR was performed on DNA extracted from group I and IV leaf curl‐affected tobacco from Karnataka, India using degenerate begomovirus‐specific primers. Subsequent cloning and sequencing of PCR products revealed preliminary evidence for the presence of at least three begomoviruses in the affected material following alignment of a 333 bp region of the coat protein gene (CP). The complete CP and common region (CR) of two putative begomoviruses, Tobacco leaf curl virus‐Karnataka1 (TbLCV‐Kar1) and Tobacco leaf curl virus‐Karnataka2 (TbLCV‐Kar2), were sequenced using PCR clones obtained with designed sequence‐specific primers. Phylogenetic analysis of the CP and CR of TbLCV‐Kar1 and TbLCV‐Kar2 placed them in the Asian Old World begomovirus cluster. The two viruses differed from each other significantly in both the CP gene and the CR (< 90% nucleotide sequence identity). This difference, in conjunction with distinct iterative sequences strongly suggests that these begomoviruses are distinct from one another. Group I and IV tobacco were also found to harbour a possible third begomovirus following the 333 bp CP alignment. Comparison of TbLCV‐Kar1 and TbLCV‐Kar2 with other geminiviruses, showed that both sequences shared high nucleotide sequence identity (> 90%) with other begomoviruses in either the CP or CR, thereby suggesting these viruses to be possible strains of other reported begomoviruses. Combined comparison of the CP and CR sequences however, suggests that the two viruses are not strains of other reported begomoviruses, but may be distinct begomoviruses that could have arisen through recombination events during mixed infections. Phylogenetic comparison demonstrated no significant homology between the Indian tobacco begomoviruses and a tobacco‐infecting begomovirus from Zimbabwe, again showing that as with other geminiviruses, there is a geographic basis for phylogenetic relationships rather than an affiliation with tobacco as a host.     

The genome sequence of bluetongue virus type 10 from India: evidence for circulation of a western topotype vaccine strain

Bluetongue virus is the type species of the genus Orbivirus in the family Reoviridae. We report the first complete genome sequence of an isolate (IND2004/01) of bluetongue virus serotype 10 (BTV-10) from Andhra Pradesh, India. This isolate, which is stored in the Orbivirus Reference Collection (ORC) at IAH Pirbright, shows >99% nucleotide identity in all 10 genome segments with a vaccine strain of BTV-10 from the United States.     

Analysis of the Coat Protein Gene of Indian Strain of Apple Stem Grooving Virus

A survey was undertaken in the temperate fruit growing regions of Himachal Pradesh (HP) and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). Apple stem grooving virus (ASGV), a Capillovirus, was detected in different cultivars of apple, nectarines, plum, cherry, quince and apricot by double antibody sandwich ELISA (DAS-ELISA). The coat protein (CP) gene sequence of an amplicon produced by RT-PCR, confirmed the association of ASGV in apple cultivar Starkrimson, collected from Himachal Pradesh. The CP of Indian ASGV isolate shared 100 % sequence identity with a Brazilian isolate (AF438409). Sequence analysis by Recombination Detection Program (RDP2) indicated no recombination event for the Indian isolate. However, recombination was detected in Chinese, Korean and Citrus tatter leaf virus-Taiwan (CTLV) strains of ASGV. The study describes first report of ASGV infection in India and characterization of its CP gene.     

香蕉束顶病毒基因克隆和序列分析

对香蕉束顶病毒（ＢＢＴＶ）中国分离株ＤＮＡ组份Ｉ（ＤＮＡ－１）、外壳蛋白（ＣＰ）和运转蛋白（ＭＰ）基因进行了克隆和序列分析。ＢＢＴＶＤＮＡ－１含有１１０３个核苷酸,与南太平洋和亚洲分离株分别有８７％－８８％ ９６．９－９８％的核苷酸序列同源性。由ＤＮＡ－１编码的复制酶含有１８６个在酸残基。与南太平洋和亚洲分离株分别有８４．４％－９５．８％和９７．６％、９８．０％的氨基酸序列同源性。外壳蛋白基因由５     

广西黄瓜绿斑驳花叶病毒（CGMMV）黄瓜分离物的RT—PCR检测及CP基因序列分析

利用黄瓜绿斑驳花叶病毒（Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic Virus,CGMMV）的特异性引物对来自广西一温室栽培的黄瓜病样进行RT—PCR检测,结果扩增得到了与预期大小相符的目的片段（650bp）。序列分析表明,该目的片段包含有CGMMV完整的CP基因序列、部分运动蛋白基因（MP）及3’端非编码区（3＇-UTR）序列,其中CP基因全长486bp,与已报道的CP基因序列同源性为91．2％～99．4％。经系统发育分析,明确该GX-CS分离物与日本、法国、印度等分离物属于CGMMV同一类群,并推测该分离物与广西的葫芦（GX—BG）分离物具有相同的起源关系。     

侵染落葵的黄瓜花叶病毒分离物CP基因序列分析

通过间接酶联免疫法(ID-ELISA)检测到染病落葵病样中存在黄瓜花叶病毒（Cucumber Mosaic Virus,CMV）。从病叶中提取总RNA,用RT-PCR方法扩增得到657bp的CMV CP基因片断,将扩增产物与T载体连接并进行测序。用DNA MAN将得到的CP基因序列与GenBank收录的黄瓜花叶病毒两亚组部分株系或分离物的CP基因序列进行比较,结果表明该CP基因与CMV亚组Ⅰ、亚组Ⅱ之间的核苷酸序列同源性分别为91.17~95.43%和75.30~75.76%,推导氨基酸序列同源性分别为95.41~97.71%和81.28~81.74%,表明CMV-Ba与亚组Ⅰ同源关系密切。     

Comparison of Groundnut bud necrosis virus isolates based on movement protein (NSm) gene sequences

The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the movement protein (NSm) genes of five isolates of Groundnut bud necrosis virus (GBNV) originating from different hosts and parts of India such as cowpea and tomato from Kerala, groundnut from Tamil Nadu, and potato from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were determined and compared to the known NSm sequences. Sequence analysis revealed that the NSm genes of GBNV isolates were identical in length (924 bp encoding 307 amino acids). GBNV isolates shared maximum identity (98–100%) at amino acid levels with GBNV‐Type isolate, while 82–83% and 34–65% amino acid sequence identities were observed with Watermelon silver mottle virus and other Tospoviruses respectively. The NSm genes among GBNV isolates originating from different hosts and locations appeared highly conserved (93–100%), suggesting their common origin.     

First report of Squash leaf curl china virus causing mosaic symptoms on summer squash (Cucurbita pepo) grown in Varanasi district of India

Severe incidence of a mosaic disease was observed on summer squash (Cucurbita pepo), commonly called pepo, grown in Varanasi during June–September of Khariff season 2007. Symptoms observed were mosaic, puckering on the leaves, wartiness on fruits, general stunting of plants and low yield. PCR amplification with degenerate primers designed to target the conserved sequences of coat protein gene of whitefly transmitted geminiviruses showed ～800 bp fragment in all symptomatic samples tested, indicating the association of a geminivirus with the disease. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the amplified fragment showed 99% identity with pumpkin isolate of squash leaf curl china virus (SLCCNV) from Lucknow. It showed 85–96.7% homology with other isolates of SLCCNV from India and abroad. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the isolate on pepo from Varanasi clustered with SLCCNV isolates on pumpkin from Lucknow and Coimbatore.     

VP2 gene based phylogenetic relationship of Indian isolates of Bluetongue virus serotype 1 and other serotypes from different parts of the world.

Bluetongue virus (BTV), a member of genus Orbivirus, family Reoviridae, is non-enveloped with double shelled structure and 10 segmented double stranded RNA genome. The RNA segment L2 encodes an outer capsid serotype specific viral protein VP2. BTV serotype 1 (BTV-1) specific novel primer pair, forward primer (1240-1271 bp) and reverse primer (1844-1813 bp), was designed using VP2 gene sequences available in GenBank to amplify 1240-1844 bp region because two hypervariable and three conserved regions have been reported within these 604 nucleotides. This primer pair successfully amplified cell culture adapted six Indian isolates of BTV-1. The 604 bp PCR product of VP2 gene of BTV-1 Avikanagar (A), Chennai (C) and Sirsa 3 (S3) Indian isolates were cloned in pPCR-Script Amp SK (+) vector and transformed into XL10-Gold Kan ultracompetent Epicurian coli cells. The positive clones selected by blue-white screening and colony touch PCR were sequenced. BTV-1A, C and S3 isolates revealed 99% nucleotide sequence identity within 1304-1844 bp region of VP2 gene. The partial VP2 gene sequences (1240-1844 bp region) revealed that BTV-1 Indian isolates were 89% identical with Australian (AUS) BTV-1 isolates while the identity with South African (SA) BTV-1 isolate was 75%. Phylogenetically, three BTV-1 Indian isolates formed one group which is closely related to BTV-1AUS isolates followed by BTV-1SA, BTV-2, 9, 23, 13, 17, 10 and 11 isolates from different parts of world. Based on partial VP2 gene sequences, it is concluded that Indian isolates of BTV-1 are closely related to BTV-1AUS isolates than BTV-1SA and other serotypes.     

Leaf curl disease of tomato in Haldwani (Uttarakhand), India region is caused by a begomovirus with satellite molecule DNA β

The leaf curl disease of tomato was observed in the Haldwani region of Uttarakhand, India during 2004–2007 with an average disease incidence of 49.8 and 73.7% during the month of October and February, respectively. The virus isolate from the infected tomato plants was transmissible to healthy tomato plants by whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci), and the inoculated plants showed typical leaf curl symptoms with a latent period of 16–18 days. The total DNA was extracted from the infected plants and subjected to polymerase chain reaction to amplify the genomic components. The coat protein (CP) gene of ～750 nt was amplified using a set of CP gene specific primer and sequenced (EU847240). Sequence analysis of 701 nt from the N′ terminal region revealed that it had a sequence identity of more than 90% with other isolates/strains of Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus. A satellite molecule, DNA β of ～1.4 kb was also amplified using universal DNA β-specific primers, cloned and sequenced (EU847239). The isolated DNA β was 1370 nt in length and had a nucleotide sequence identity of 91–93% with DNA β associated with cowpea severe leaf curl and tomato leaf curl disease (TomLCD) reported from India and Pakistan, respectively, and followed by 79% with DNA β associated with TomLCDs reported from Rajasthan. This result showed that the satellite DNA β was associated with TomLCD in Haldwani.     

Nucleotide Sequence Assessment of Four ORFs of Citrus Tristeza Virus: Evidence of Recombination

Citrus Tristeza Virus (CTV), usually occurs in nature as a mixture of genotypes. Six naturally infected citrus (Citrus sinensis) trees grafted on sour orange rootstock were collected from three citrus growing governorates in Egypt (Sharqia, Qalyubia and Garbia). In this study, RT-PCR, Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP) and nucleotide sequence analysis were used for four independent CTV genomic regions (p65, p18, p20, and p23) to detect and assess the sequence and genetic variabilities among CTV Egyptian isolates. RTPCR products (650 bp) for the CTV p23 gene obtained from the selected isolates were used for the SSCP analysis and DNA sequencing. SSCP patterns of p23 gene for individual isolates yielded different complex haplotype patterns. Nucleotide sequence analysis of p23 region amplified from six isolates under study revealed that p23 shared high nucleotide identity 98.7% with T36 isolate from USA, Florida. Phylogenetic analysis of p23 gene indicated a close evolutionary relationship between all examined isolates and Qaha isolate (T36 isolate group), suggesting that they may have originated from closely related ancestors. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the three genes located on CTV 3′-coterminal overhang, p18, p20 and p65, amplified from isolate A3, Sharqia governorate, revealed that the p18, p65, and p20 genes were related to the T3-KB isolate from South Africa with 99%–100% sequence homology. Phylogenetic relationship analysis for p65, p18 and p20 ORFs clustered the current A3 isolate with T3 genotype group. The recombination analysis identified three of six isolates from Sharqia, and Garbia as potential recombinant for p23 gene. The isolates T36 and T3 were identified as major donors for recombination events in isolate A3. Our results concluded that p23 ORF likely to be as a hotspot region for recombination and originated through recombination event. The current study indicated that recombination is an important factor for the origin of CTV strains in Egypt.     

Molecular characterisation of papaya ringspot potyvirus isolates from India

Papaya ringspot potyvirus (PRSV) causes major diseases of papaya and cucurbits in the Indian subcontinent. Based on biological properties, PRSV isolates are classified as either papaya infecting (P), or non-papaya infecting (W) types. To characterise the P and W isolates from India at the molecular level, c. 1.7 Kb of the 3′-terminal regions comprising a part of the nuclear inclusion b (Nib) gene, the complete capsid protein (CP) gene and the untranslated region (UTR) of both the P and W isolates were cloned and sequenced. Comparative sequence analyses showed that the 3′-UTRs in isolates P and W were 209 nucleotides in length excluding the poly (A) tail, and shared 96% identity. The CP genes of the two isolates were also similar, with 87% nucleotide identity and 93% amino acid identity. The amino acid differences between the CP genes were mostly confined to the amino terminus. The DAG triplet associated with aphid transmissibility was present in the CP of isolate W, but it was replaced by DAD in the P isolate. The partially sequenced Nib genes were also 90% identical, but isolate W contained an additional amino acid (threonine) just upstream of the cleavage site (Q/S) between Nib and CP. This is the first reported comparison of the molecular characterisation of PRSV-P and W isolates from the Indian subcontinent.