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Characterization of a New Potyvirus Naturally Infecting Chickpea

During the 1999 to 2001 growing seasons, symptoms consisting of mosaic, stunting, yellowing, wilting, shortening of internodes, and phloem discoloration were observed in chickpea (Cicer arietinum) grown in the Department of Chuquisaca in southern Bolivia. In some fields, approximately 10% of the plants exhibited viruslike symptoms and suffered greatly reduced seed yields. Lentil (Lens culinaris) was also observed to be infected but not pea (Pisum sativum) or faba bean (Vicia faba) growing in nearby fields. Infected chickpea tissue reacted positively to the potyvirus group-specific monoclonal antibody (MAb), but there was no serological reaction with antisera to the potyviruses Bean yellow mosaic virus, Clover yellow vein virus, Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus, Pea seedborne mosaic virus, Bean common mosaic virus, or Bean common mosaic necrosis virus. Western blots of total protein extracts probed with the potyvirus MAb revealed a single band ca. 32 kDa. Comparative sequence analysis of cDNA clones generated from the putative coat protein gene consisted of 282 amino acids (31.9 kDa) and showed moderate identities of 67, 66, 63, 63, and 61% with the coat proteins of potyviruses Pepper severe mosaic virus, Pepper yellow mosaic virus, Potato virus Y, Plum pox virus, and Pepper mottle virus, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of the coat protein amino acid sequence revealed that this virus is a unique member of the family Potyviridae and is phylogenetically most closely related to a group of Solanaceae-infecting potyviruses rather than to other legumeinfecting potyviruses. The proposed name for the new causal agent is Chickpea yellow mosaic virus.