Comparative Genomic Analysis of Partial Grapevine Leafroll-Associated Virus-1 Sequences Isolated from Pomegranate and Grapevines

Abstract

Grapevine leafroll disease is one of the worldwide diseases with economic importance among grapevine virus diseases since many years. Grapevine leafroll-associated virus-1 (GLRaV-1) is the first identified virus related to leafroll viruses which are belonged to Closterovirus and Ampelovirus. Leafroll symptoms are typical for this virus and it causes yield losses on grapevines. Pomegranates are also economically important trees and up to now; only a few viral agents were identified in this plant species and in the last years, it was reported that pomegranate could be as a new host of GLRaV-1. Aim of this study was to compare GLRaV-1 isolates from grapevine and pomegranates. For this purpose, dsRNA and total RNA isolations were done and RT-PCR analysis were conducted by using primers of movement protein (p24) and heatshock70 protein (HSP70h) genes of GLRaV-1 and PCR products were cloned and sequenced in the collected samples from Hatay and Niğde in 2014. -PCR analysis was done by using degenerated primer heatshock 70 homolog protein of Closterovirus. Blast and phylogenetic analysis were performed with the obtained partial nucleotid sequences. At the end of this study, it was ensured that GLRaV-1 isolates isolated from the pomegranate, which is thought to be a new host, were analysed comparatively with the grapevine isolates and high similarities were detected between isolates.