Complete nucleotide sequences of two begomoviruses infecting Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) from Pakistan

Abstract

Though Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle) is an ornamental plant, it is famous for its medicinal value. Its alkaloids are known for anti-cancerous properties, and this plant is studied mainly for its alkaloids. Here, this plant has been studied for its viral diseases. Complete DNA sequences of two begomoviruses infecting C. roseus originating from Pakistan were determined. The sequence of one begomovirus (clone KN4) shows the highest level of nucleotide sequence identity (86.5%) to an unpublished virus, chili leaf curl India virus (ChiLCIV), and then (84.4% identity) to papaya leaf curl virus (PaLCV), and thus represents a new species, for which the name "Catharanthus yellow mosaic virus" (CYMV) is proposed. The sequence of another begomovirus (clone KN6) shows the highest level of sequence identity (95.9% to 99%) to a newly reported virus from India, papaya leaf crumple virus (PaLCrV). Sequence analysis shows that KN4 and KN6 are recombinants of Pedilanthus leaf curl virus (PedLCV) and croton yellow vein mosaic virus (CrYVMV).