Characterization of a Putative New Member of the Genus from Kudzu ( var. ) in Mississippi.
Nina Aboughanem-Sabanadzovic, Ronald Christian Stephenson, Thomas W Allen, Alan Henn, William F Moore, Amanda Lawrence, Sead Sabanadzovic
Author Information
Nina Aboughanem-Sabanadzovic: Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.
Ronald Christian Stephenson: Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.
Thomas W Allen: Delta Research and Extension Center, Mississippi State University, Stoneville, MS 38776, USA. ORCID
Alan Henn: Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.
William F Moore: Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.
Amanda Lawrence: Institute for Imaging and Analytical Technologies, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.
Sead Sabanadzovic: Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA. ORCID
Kudzu ( var. ), a plant native to Southeastern Asia, has become a major noxious weed covering millions of hectares in the Southern United States. A kudzu patch displaying virus-like symptoms located in Ackerman, northeastern Mississippi (MS), was used as a source for virus isolation and characterization involving mechanical and vector transmission, ultrastructural observation, surveys, Sanger and high-throughput genome sequencing, and sequence analyses. The results revealed the presence of a new potyvirus in infected kudzu, closely related to wisteria vein mosaic virus (WVMV) and provisionally named kudzu chlorotic ring blotch virus (KudCRBV). Genome features and pairwise comparison with six WVMV genomes currently available in GenBank and three additional isolates from MS sequenced in this work suggest that KudCRBV is likely a member of a new species in the genus . Furthermore, under experimental conditions, KudCRBV was successfully transmitted by cotton and potato aphids and mechanically to soybean and beans. A state-wide survey revealed several kudzu patches infected by the virus in northern MS.
