Molecular Plant Pathology On-Line [http://www.bspp.org.uk/mppol/1998/0929rybicki]

Novel Grass and Wheat Strains of Maize Streak Virus Detected by DNA Amplification and Sequencing

Edward P Rybicki¹, Susan Dennis, Grant Napier, and Fiona L Hughes

¹ed@molbiol.uct.ac.za Department of Microbiology, University of Cape Town, PB Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa

Corresponding author: Edward P Rybicki, Department of Microbiology, University of Cape Town, PB Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa. Tel: +27-21-650-3265; Fax: +27-21-689-7573; Email: ed@molbiol.uct.ac.za

ABSTRACT

The investigation of genetic diversity among maize, grass and wheat isolates of maize streak virus (MSV) and other Mastreviruses (family: Geminiviridae)   is described. The products of a degenerate primer polymerase chain reaction (PCR) DNA amplification from a variety of virus isolates were cloned and sequenced, and the +200 bp sequences aligned and compared for phylogenetic analysis. MSV isolates could be grouped into three distinct strain classes, one of which comprised closely-related isolates from maize, another closely-related viruses from wheat and grasses, and the third a single distinct grass type. The sequences represent a significant expansion of our knowledge of MSV diversity.