Characterization of Pepper leafroll chlorosis virus, a New Polerovirus Causing Yellowing Disease of Bell Pepper in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

During the growing seasons of 2014 through 2016, a total of 336 leaf samples from bell pepper (showing leafroll and interveinal yellowing) and arable weeds were collected from Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia. The use of a polerovirus generic reverse transcription (RT)-PCR assay confirmed their presence in the bell pepper samples. Sequencing of the generic amplicon revealed high similarity (87.6 to 98.1% in nt) with four poleroviruses; Tobacco vein distorting virus, Pepper vein yellows virus, Pepper yellows virus, and Pepper yellow leaf curl virus. To further characterize one of these isolates (105D), a larger part of the genome (∼1,300 nt) spanning approximately from the 3′ end of ORF2 to the middle of ORF3, was amplified and sequenced. Blasting the resulting sequence revealed the low amino acid and nucleotide identity percentages in the coat protein and movement protein partial genes with viruses deposited in GenBank. Next-generation sequence was used to acquire a larger part of the genome, which resulted in the reconstruction of isolate 105D’s partial genome (5,496 nt). Sequence similarity analysis revealed the presence of a divergent polerovirus isolate belonging to a new species that was tentatively named Pepper leafroll chlorosis virus (PeLRCV). Using a specific RT-PCR assay for this isolate confirmed the presence of this new viral species in the symptomatic peppers. Aphid transmission experiments showed that PeLRCV is vectored by Aphis gossypii and that it can infect at least five out of the 15 different plants species tested. Based on our findings, PeLRCV is a new member of genus Polerovirus in the family Luteoviridae.

Transmission of a New Polerovirus Infecting Pepper by the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci

“…The 5= nontranslated region (5=NTR) of the PeWBVYV genome was 100% similar to that of PeVYV-2/6 and the encoded proteins P0, P1, and P1-P2 were also identical in the ranges of 98% to 98.8%, 97.9% to 98.7%, and 95.9% to 96.8%, respectively. The 3= half, however, was much more distant from that of PeVYV-2/6 but was more homologous with that of a polerovirus infecting pepper (PeVYV-7) from Saudi Arabia (14) and with that of AeVY, a polerovirus infecting eggplants in Africa (24). AeYV, though, has been reported from Africa to infect both eggplants (Mali) and, to a much lesser extent, pepper (Benin) (24).…”

“…PeWBVYV, although similar to PeVYV-7 in most protein sequence, is unlike the latter in aphid transmission. PeVYV-7 infections in pepper, like the infections by all other PeVYVs, were perfectly transmissible by aphids (14). However, the known vector determining the RTD region of PeWBVYV had low homology with all other closely related viruses except PeVYV-7 and AeYV.…”

“…At least seven different polerovirus-like species associated with similar symptoms in pepper have been described worldwide. They have been named PeVYV 1 to 5 (12) and two recently described viruses from Greece (13) and Saudi Arabia (14) are referred to in this study as PeVYV-6 and PeVYV-7, respectively. Typical of poleroviruses, the PeVYVs are strictly transmitted by aphid species (Aphis gossypii and Myzus persicae) in a persistent circulative manner (10).…”

Pod Pepper Vein Yellows Virus, a New Recombinant Polerovirus Infecting Pod Pepper in Yunnan Province, China

“…Recombination is an important source of genetic variability in viruses, particularly for viruses possessing an RNA genome. PeVYVs have nucleotide identities to tobacco vein distorting virus (TVDV) at 5' half of genome, and are considered to be recombinant from TVDV and other poleroviruses [4,7,8].…”

Targeted disruption of aphid transmission: a vision for the management of crop diseases caused by Luteoviridae members

“…Plant viruses in the Luteoviridae family, encompassing the polero, luteo, and enamoviruses, which are collectively referred to as luteovirids in this review, cause emerging diseases with serious economic consequences in many staple, vegetable, ornamental, and fruit crops. Although by no means an exhaustive list, in the past two years new luteovirid infections have been characterized in pepper [1,2], pumpkin [3], sugarcane [4,5], potato [4], apple [6], gourd [7], wheat [8], maize [9], sorghum [10] and Camelina spp. [11].…”