P1 protein (Partial) sequence comparison of South Indian isolates of Papaya ringspot virus

Abstract

Isolates of Papaya Ring Spot Virus (PRSV) from South In­dia (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) were collected and maintained on Papaya var. Red Lady. Upon inoculation, all the PRSV isolates developed severe symptoms of mosaic, puckering, shoestring, leaf distortion, stunted growth, leading to the deterioration and death of the plants. Part of P1 region of four PRSV isolates were sequenced, and variability in the P1 region was obvious from the results of BLAST analysis. PRSV Bengaluru (Karnataka) isolate showed highest nucleotide identity of 88.80 % with PRSV isolates Pune (Aundh) PM-I (Accession no. MF405296), while Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) isolate showed highest nucleotide identity of 94.47% with PRSV Bengaluru isolate (MK604243). Similarly, PRSV Ernakulam (Kerala) isolate shared highest nucleotide identity of 88.97% with Pune isolate (MF405299) whereas PRSV Tiruapti (Andhra Pradesh) isolate showed maximum nucleotide identity of 93.41 with PRSV Bengaluru isolate (MK604243). The nucleotide sequences of the PRSV isolates were compared to each other and with the sequences of seventeen other PRSV isolates from different geographical locations. The close relationship among Indian isolates was noticed from the phylogenetic tree while clustering pattern of PRSV isolates correlated with their geographical origins. Indian PRSV isolates formed a distinct clade and were grouped separately from isolates of other countries.