THE COMPLETE NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE OF THE GENOMIC RNA OF BEAN COMMON MOSAIC VIRUS STRAIN NL4

Abstract

The complete nucleotide sequence of the genomic RNA of the NL4 strain of Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV-NL4) was determined. The viral genome is 10037 nucleotides in length, excluding the 3’ terminal poly (A) tail, and contains a single open reading frame (ORF) of 9666 nucleotides encoding a polyprotein of 3222 amino acids.  The ORF is flanked by 5’ and 3’ untranslated regions (UTRs) of 133 and 235 nucleotides, respectively. Comparative analyses of the predicted BCMV-NL4 polyprotein with other species of the genus Potyvirus revealed nine cleavage sites resulting in ten functional proteins. Nucleotide and amino acid sequence identities indicated a close relationship between BCMV-NL4 and BCMV-NL1. Blast comparisons using coat protein (CP) and 3’UTR sequences showed 100% identity between BCMV-NL4 and the Mexican variant (US6) of this strain.