ARS | Publication request: Complete nucleotide sequence of a maize chlorotic mottle virus isolate from Nebraska

Submitted to: Archives of Virology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: February 18, 2008
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Citation: Stenger, D.C., French, R.C. 2008. Complete nucleotide sequence of a maize chlorotic mottle virus isolate from Nebraska. Archives of Virology 153: 995-997.

Interpretive Summary: Maize chlorotic mottle virus from Nebraska (MCMV-NE) was determined to share high nucleotide sequence identity (99.5%) with an isolate of the virus from Kansas (MCMV-KS). Differences between the two strains were mostly silent with respect to changes in protein coding sequences. As a full-length clone of MCMV-NE was infectious, sequence differences between the two isolates appear to be neutral with respect to the ability to cause disease in maize.

Technical Abstract: The complete genome of a maize chlorotic mottle virus isolate from Nebraska (MCMV-NE) was cloned and sequenced. The MCMV-NE genome consists of 4,436 nucleotides and shares 99.5% nucleotide sequence identity with an MCMV isolate from Kansas (MCMV-KS). Of 22 polymorphic sites, most resulted from transition with a clear bias for U to C and C to U substitutions. The MCMV-NE genome was assembled into a single plasmid insert and used as a template to transcribe RNA in vitro. As RNA transcribed from the cloned MCMV-NE genome was infectious to maize plants, sequence differences between MCMV-NE and MCMV-KS are most likely neutral with respect to pathogenicity and virulence.