Aims: The cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is categorized under the genus Cucumovirus and family Bromoviridae. This virus is known to infect over 1200 plant species from 100 families, including ornamental and horticultural plants. In this study, we pioneered a global genome comparison to decipher the unknown orchestrators behind the virulence and pathogenicity of CMV via the discovery of important single nucleotide polymorphic markers. Methodology and results: As a result, the genome size was found to be a potential preliminary country-specific marker for South Korea and the GC content can be utilized to preliminarily differentiate Turkey isolates from the others. The motif analysis as well as whole genome and coat protein phylogenetic trees were unable to form country-specific clusters. However, the coat protein haplotype analysis had successfully unconcealed country-specific single nucleotide polymorphic markers for Iran, Turkey and Japan isolates. Moreover, coat protein modelling and gene ontology prediction depicted high conservation across CMV isolates from different countries. Conclusion, significance and impact of study The country-specific single nucleotide polymorphic markers unearthed in this study may provide significant data towards the profiling of varying virulence and pathogenicity of CMV across the globe in time to combat the yield loss driven by this virus thru the most efficacious biological control measures in the future.
Cucumovirus--genetics ; Genome, Microbial

OBJECTIVETo study viruses infecting Pinellia ternata in China.

METHODSymptom observation, DAS-ELISA and RT-PCR detection were applied.

RESULT AND CONCLUSIONDuring a survey in early spring, SMV and CMV were both commonly distributed as main viruses infecting P. ternata collected from different areas in China. But DsMV was the virus which infected P. ternate in natural condition. The infection ratio of cultivated P. ternate by SMV and CMV were 71.4% and 14.3% respectively for 21 samples collected from Ningbo, Zhejiang province; 100% and 44.4% for 18 samples from Xiaoshan, Zhejiang province; 61.9% and 33.3% for 21 samples from Hebei province; 50.0% and 41.7% for 12 samples from Anhui province; 16.7% and 16.7% for 12 samples from Sichuan province; 31.3% and none for 16 samples from Beijing. And the infection ratio of 25 wild samples from different areas of China infected by SMV and CMV were both 20.0%.

China ; Cluster Analysis ; Cucumovirus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; DNA, Complementary ; chemistry ; genetics ; Mosaic Viruses ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Pinellia ; virology ; Plant Diseases ; virology ; Plants, Medicinal ; virology ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

To gain insights into the function of potential post-translational modifications on the activity of the Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)-encoded silencing suppressor protein 2b, one predicted phosphorylation site (S40) and two predicted ubiquitination/sumoylation sites (K22 and K39) in CMV-Q2b protein were individually or simultaneously mutated by site-directed mutagenesis methods. These Q2b mutants were inserted into plant expression vectors, expressed in plant leaves, and then analyzed for their silencing suppressor activities. The results showed that S40A mutation greatly impaired both the local and systemic silencing suppressor activity, and the K22R mutation has no significant effect on the suppressor activity, while the K22R/K39R double mutation reduced the systemic silencing suppressor activity. To test if the decrease of suppressor activity were due to protein accumulation changes, western blot were performed to monitor the protein level of Q2b mutants. The results indicated that mutations of both K22 and K39 to R or S40 to A all significantly reduced the accumulation of the Q2b protein in plants, while the single mutation of K22 to R did not alter the accumulation of Q2b protein, suggesting that two potential post-translational modification sites, K39 and S40, contribute to the suppressor activity and stability of 2b protein in plant cells.
Cucumovirus ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Gene Silencing ; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed ; Mutation ; Protein Processing, Post-Translational ; Protein Stability ; Viral Proteins ; genetics