Genetic variability and recombination analysis of the coat protein gene of Strawberry mild yellow edge virus

Abstract

Strawberry mild yellow edge virus (SMYEV) has been detected in most of the strawberry production regions worldwide. However, little is known about differences between distinct isolates. The aim of this study was to enhance the knowledge about the genetic variability of different SMYEV isolates, exploring the phylogenetic relationships and assessing recombinant events among them. The coat protein (CP) gene of 12 Argentinian SMYEV isolates was sequenced. There were 729 nucleotides (nt) in all of the isolates, encoding a protein of 242 amino acids (aa). Argentina isolates shared 81.5–99.6 % nucleotide identity. The comparison of these isolates with 30 SMYEV sequences from other countries published in the GenBank, revealed an identity ranging from 81.6 to 99 %. The phylogenetic analysis showed the presence of four possible subgroups, with the Argentinian isolates being included in all of them. Recombination analysis indicated that 16–2 (KP 284155) Argentinian and AJ577342 Chilean isolates are recombinant and that they are a result of recombination events where parts of the genome were exchanged between different SMYEV sequences.