THE COMPLETE NUCLEOTIDE-SEQUENCE OF THE GENOMIC RNA OF THE TOBAMOVIRUS TOBACCO MILD GREEN MOSAIC-VIRUS

The complete nucleotide sequence of the genomic RNA of the tobamovirus tobacco mild green mosaic virus (TMGMV) was determined. It shows 64.4% sequence homology with the genomic RNA of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and 66.0% with that of tomato mosaic virus (ToMV). Its genomic organization is similar to that of TMV and ToMV. The 5′ proximal open reading frame (ORF) encodes a 126K polypeptide and a 183K readthrough product in which nucleotide-binding and polymerase-sequence motifs are found. The third ORF encodes a 28.5K protein homologous to TMV and ToMV movement proteins. A conserved core is found with four other tobamoviruses and two tobraviruses suggesting a common mechanism of cell-to-cell movement for tobamo- and tobraviruses. The fourth ORF encodes the 17.5K coat protein. Homology between the RNAs of TMGMV and its satellite virus STMV is limited to their 3′ termini, and structural comparisons suggest that this region may determine the nature of the satellite/helper virus interaction. © 1990.