Molecular variability of Merremia mosaic virus infecting tomatoes in Venezuela

Abstract

Merremia mosaic virus (MeMV) is a relative frequent begomovirus infecting tomato fields in Venezuela. However, its genetic variability remains unclear. In this study, 20 MeMV infected tomato plants, collected from different Venezuelan states, were selected to estimate the genetic variations by partial genome sequencing of the common region and part of the genes AV1 and AC1, comprising 1012 bp. Nucleotide sequence identity among Venezuelan isolates ranged between 91.4 and 100 %, suggesting a high genetic variability when compared with other Latin American isolates from Puerto Rico, Belize, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Phylogenetic analysis showed two main clusters. The cluster 1 included isolates from Central America and Venezuela, while the cluster 2 included only isolates from Venezuela.