GENOME ORGANIZATION OF AGERATUM YELLOW VEIN VIRUS, A MONOPARTITE WHITEFLY-TRANSMITTED GEMINIVIRUS ISOLATED FROM A COMMON WEED

A full-length copy of a single genomic component of the whitefly-transmitted geminivirus ageratum yellow vein virus (AYVV) has been cloned from an extract of infected Ageratum conyzoides originating from Singapore. Sequence analysis shows that the genomic component encodes two virion-sense (V1 and V2) and four complementary-sense open reading frames (C1-C4), typical of DNA A of whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses from the Eastern hemisphere. A genomic component equivalent to DNA B was not detected in extracts of infected A. conyzoides. The cloned genomic component produced a systemic infection in Nicotiana benthamiana, Phaseolus vulgaris and Lycopersicon esculentum when introduced into plants by agroinoculation, and symptoms were identical to those produced by wild-type virus introduced into these hosts using viruliferous whiteflies. However, attempts to re-establish a systemic infection in A. conyzoides either by agroinoculation or by whitefly transmission of the cloned progeny were unsuccessful, suggesting that additional factors are required for infection of the natural host. The significance of A. conyzoides as a reservoir host for the economically important geminivirus diseases is discussed.