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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #208162
Title: Blackberry Virus Y is a Member of a New Genus in the Family Potyviridae and a Contributing Component of Blackberry yellow vein disease

Author
item TZANETAKIS, I - OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
item SUSAIMUTHU, J - CORNELL UNIVERSITY
item GERGERICH, R - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item Martin, Robert

Submitted to: American Society for Virology Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/28/2007
Publication Date: 5/3/2007
Citation: Tzanetakis, I.E., Susaimuthu, J., Gergerich, R.C., Martin, R.R. 2007. Blackberry virus Y is a member of a new genus in the family Potyviridae and a contributing component of Blackberry yellow vein disease. American Society for Virology Meeting.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A new virus, designated as Blackberry virus Y (BVY), isolated from blackberries exhibiting symptoms of the blackberry yellow vein disease (BYVD) has been identified. The complete nucleotide sequence of BVY has been determined and it revealed several unique features for a member of the Potyviridae family. The genome of BVY is the largest of all sequenced potyviruses and it is most closely related to members of the genus Potyvirus. BVY has low amino acid identities with members of the genus (about 30% over the length of the polyprotein) and the phylogenetic analysis of three regions of the genome failed to cluster BVY with members of the Potyvirus genus indicating that the virus belongs to a novel genus of the family. BVY is the first member of the family that encodes an AlkB domain, potentially involved in RNA silencing suppression. The HC-Pro of BVY is lacking the N-terminus of a typical potyvirus, a region involved in vector transmission and RNA silencing suppression. Several aphid and mites species are being tested as vectors of BVY and these results will be presented. The involvement of BYV in BYVD was assessed, and it was determined that BVY is not the causal agent of the disease since several symptomatic plants tested negative for the virus. The current understanding of the BYVD is that it is caused by the crinivirus, Blackberry yellow vein associated virus, in mixed infections with several other old and newly described viruses, the most prominent being BVY.