THE NUCLEOTIDE-SEQUENCE OF THE COAT PROTEIN GENES AND 3' NONCODING REGIONS OF 2 RESISTANCE-BREAKING TOBAMOVIRUSES IN PEPPER SHOWS THAT THEYARE DIFFERENT VIRUSES

The nucleotide sequence of the coat protein genes and 3' non-coding re gions of two different resistance-breaking tobamoviruses in pepper hav e been determined. The deduced coat protein of an Italian isolate of p epper mild mottle virus (PMMV-I) consists of 156 amino acids and its 3 ' non-coding region is 198 nucleotides long. They have been found to b e very similar in sequence and structure to those previously reported for a Spanish isolate (PMMV-S). In contrast, a Dutch isolate termed P 11 codes for a coat protein of 160 amino acids and its 3' non-coding r egion is 291 nucleotides long, which may have arisen by duplication. T he nucleotide and the predicted coat protein amino acid sequence analy sis show that this isolate should be considered as a new virus within the tobamovirus group. The term paprika mild mottle virus (PaMMV) is p roposed.