Characterization of a new world monopartite begomovirus causing leaf curl disease of tomato in Ecuador and Peru reveals a new direction in geminivirus evolution.

ABSTRACT: All characterized whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses (begomoviruses) with origins in the New World (NW) have bipartite genomes composed of a DNA-A and DNA-B component. Recently, an NW begomovirus lacking a DNA-B component was associated with tomato leaf curl disease (ToLCD) in Peru, and it was named Tomato leaf deformation virus (ToLDeV). Here, we show that isolates of ToLDeV associated with ToLCD in Ecuador and Peru have a single, genetically diverse genomic DNA that is most closely related to DNA-A components of NW bipartite begomoviruses. Agroinoculation of multimeric clones of the genomic DNA of three ToLDeV genotypes (two variants and a strain) resulted in the development of tomato leaf curl symptoms indistinguishable from those of ToLCD in Ecuador and Peru. Biological properties of t

SUBMITTER: Melgarejo TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3648196 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature