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Title: COMPLETE NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE AND GENOME ORGANIZATION OF BEET SOILBORNE MOSAIC VIRUS, A PROPOSED MEMBER OF THE GENUS BENYVIRUS

Author
item Lee, Lawrence
item TELFORD, E - TEXAS AGRI EXPER STATION
item BATTEN, J - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
item SCHOLTHOF, KAREN-BETH - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
item RUSH, C - TEXAS AGRI EXPER STATION

Submitted to: Archives of Virology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/2/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Rhizomania is a viral disease of sugar beets that is commonly found in most production areas in the US and Europe. In the US, rhizomania was first identified in California and has led to a 40% reduction in acres planted to sugar beet. Rhizomania accurately describes the abnormal root growth in infected plants. Roots are stunted, develop tufted-like appearance and sugar content is greatly reduced. Beginning in 1988, symptoms were often more mild, yet the virus was often present and sugar yields were still reduced. It was discovered that another virus was often associated with the mild symptoms and this new virus could be distinguished from the virus first associated with rhizomania. The new virus called Beet soilborne mosaic virus (BSBMV), has been reported in Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, and California, has not been reported outside the US. In this paper we determined the genetic sequence and gene organization of BSBMV. The genome organization was similar to the rhizomania virus, but the genetic sequences were significantly different and BSBMV should be considered a new virus. Interestingly, sugar beet cultivars that are resistant to rhizomania are not resistant to this new virus. This new genomic information provides new diagnostic tools to aid in the management of this new threat to sugar beet production in the US.

Technical Abstract: The complete nucleotide sequences of RNAs 1 to 4 of Beet soilborne mosaic virus (BSBMV) were determined. The genomic organization of BSBMV is identical to Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV), the type species of the genus Benyvirus. However, BSBMV and BNYVV differ considerably in the nucleotide sequences of their genomes and in the deduced amino acid sequences of their putative gene products. BSBMV RNA1 contains a single large open reading frame (ORF) that contains helicase and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase motifs. BSBMV RNA2 contains six potential ORFs. The viral capsid protein (CP) cistron is located at the 5'-terminus followed by an in-frame coding region to encode a read through translation (RT) product. These ORFs are analogous to the CP-RT products of BNYVV. The four remaining ORFs on RNA2 possess typical motifs of triple gene block proteins, which are reported for BNYVV and several other plant viruses. BSBMV RNA3 and RNA4 contain single putative ORFs that are more closely related to BNYVV and are unique to these rod-shaped multipartite viruses with fungal vectors. The similarities between BSBMV and BNYVV lend further support that BSBMV is not a strain of BNYVV, but should be included in the genus Benyvirus.