Nucleocapsid protein gene sequence studies confirm that potato stem necrosis disease is caused by a strain of Groundnut bud necrosis virus

Abstract

The nucleocapsid protein (N) gene of a tospovirus causing potato stem necrosis disease was cloned and sequenced. The N gene of potato tospovirus isolates collected from three different locations of India (Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan) were 831 bases long and could potentially code for 276 amino acid long protein. Sequence analyses showed that the N gene was most closely related to Groundnut bud necrosis virus (GBNV). The amino acid sequence identity with GBNV was 98-99%, confirming that the potato stem necrosis disease is caused by a strain of GBNV, designated as GBNV-Po. Further, a high degree of sequence conservation among the N genes of GBNV-Po isolates (98-99 % identity) was also observed.