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Molecular Analysis of the Coat Protein of Potato virus Y Isolates in Greece Suggests Multiple Introduction from Different Genetic Pools |
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| Authors: | John T. Margaritopoulos Chrysostomos I. Dovas John Gounaris Panagiotis J. Skouras Olympia M. Kanavaki Nikolaos I. Katis John A. Tsitsipis |
| Affiliation: | 1. Authors’ addresses: Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Ploutonos 26, Larissa 412 21, Greece;2. Institute of Technology and Management of Agricultural Ecosystems, Centre for Research and Technology, Technology Park of Thessaly, 1st Industrial Area, Thessaly, 385 00 Volos, Greece;3. Laboratory of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54 124, Greece;4. Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology, Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly;5. Laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Fytokou Str., Nea Ionia 384 46, Magnesia, Greece;6. Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Department of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54 124, Greece;7. Present address: Amfikleia, Fthiotida, Greece (correspondence to J. T. Margaritopoulos. E‐mail: johnmargaritopoulos@gmail.com, jmarg@uth.gr) |
| Abstract: | The phylogenetic relationships among Potato virus Y (PVY) isolates from northern and southern Greece were investigated. A large part of coat protein gene of 49 tobacco isolates and three from pepper was examined. The analysis showed that all 52 isolates consisted of 34 distinct haplotypes, with only one haplotype found in both northern and southern regions. The southern population was more diverse than that from the north. The phylogenetic analyses of the Greek haplotypes alone or in combination with isolates from other countries using the maximum likelihood method classified unambiguously almost all the haplotypes examined. Nine tobacco haplotypes from the south were classified as C‐like (particularly C1), whereas 22 haplotypes from tobacco and two from pepper from both north and south were classified as N‐like. One tobacco haplotype from the south was found recombinant between N‐like and C1 lineages. The pattern of molecular evolution was examined using the fixed‐effects likelihood and the single‐likelihood ancestor counting methods. The analysis indicated that the evolution of PVY isolates appeared to be conservative (purifying selection and neutral evolution). These findings are discussed in relation to the introduction of PVY in the tobacco crop in Greece and the between region dispersal. A scenario of multiple introductions of PVY isolates in north and south Greece from different genetic pools and low or nil between region spread of the virus isolates was proposed. |
| Keywords: | Potato virus Y coat protein sequence variation tobacco aphids Greece |