GENOME CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEW STRAIN OF PEANUT CHLOROTIC STREAK VIRUS CAUSING CHLOROTIC VEIN BANDING DISEASE OF GROUNDNUT (ARACHIS-HYPOGAEA L) IN INDIA

The double-stranded DNA of the chlorotic vein banding isolate of peanu t chlorotic streak virus (PClSV-CVB), isolated from purified virus, re solved into circular and linear molecules similar to those of other ca ulimoviruses. A physical map of viral DNA was constructed, which showe d the PClSV-CVB DNA to be circular and composed of approximately 8 . 2 kbp. A number of restriction sites were found to be shared with a sim ilar caulimovirus, PClSV. Nevertheless, several differences between ph ysical maps of the two viruses suggest thar PClSV-CVB should be consid ered as a distinct strain of PClSV. Bam HI-cleaved PClSV-CVB DNA was c loned into pUC 118 and was infectious when cleaved from the cloning ve ctor and inoculated onto Vigna unguiculata.