COMPLETE NUCLEOTIDE-SEQUENCE OF THE GEMINIVIRUS TOMATO YELLOW LEAF CURL VIRUS, THAILAND ISOLATE

The complete genome of a Thailand isolate of the geminivirus tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV-Th) has been cloned and the nucleotide sequence determined. The genome consists of two DNAs each slightly greater than 2700 nucleotides in length and designated A-DNA and B-DNA. The A-DNA contains six open reading frames (ORFs) capable of encoding proteins with M(r)s greater than 10K; two ORFs were located on the B-DNA. The predicted ORFs were found at positions on the genome similar to those identified in other geminiviruses. Based upon computer-assisted sequence comparisons with other geminiviruses, TYLCV-Th maintained the greatest degree of similarity with a tomato pathogen isolated in Australia, tomato leaf curl virus. Furthermore, sequence comparisons with a large number of geminiviruses confirm further divisions of the geminiviruses based upon geographical proximity of the viruses. Agroinoculation of Nicotiana benthamiana with a TYLCV-Th A-DNA clone containing a mutation in the capsid protein ORF demonstrated that the coat protein is not essential for TYLCV-Th infection but enhances the progression of the disease.