BIOLOGICAL, SEROLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF A CUCUMBER MOSAIC-VIRUS ISOLATE FROM INDIA

A virus causing mosaic and leaf deformation of Physalis minima has bee n identified as an isolate of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) on the basis of its transmission by aphids in a non-persistent manner, polyhedral particles of 29nm diameter, molecular weight of coat protein subunits as 24.5kDa, serological relationship with a CMV isolate and a triparti te single-stranded RNA genome with a subgenomic RNA4. Furthermore, cDN A representing coat protein gene was synthesized and cloned. Complete nucleotide sequences (890 nt) were obtained which showed a coat protei n gene open reading frame of 657 residues. The nucleotide sequences pr ovided the 218 amino acid sequences of the coat protein. Nucleotide as well as amino acid sequences revealed more than 90% identity with the CMV subgroup I strains.