Diversity in the coding regions for the coat protein, VPg, protease, and putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase among tomato ringspot nepovirus isolates

The nucleotide sequence of the coding regions for the genome-linked virion protein (VPg), protease (Pro), putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (Pol), and coat protein (CP) were determined for four tomato ringspot nepovirus i solates and compared with the published sequence of two other isolates. Phy logenetic analysis resulted in grouping of five isolates (from raspberry an d peach) in one branch, while a grape isolate with only 80% nucleotide sequ ence identity to the other isolates was placed in a separate branch. Among the isolates, the deduced amino acid sequence was more conserved than the n ucleotide sequence. In particular, the entire VPg sequence and conserved am ino acid motifs within the Pro, Pol, and CP domains were identical in all i solates.