Zucchini Green Mottle Mosaic Virus Research Articles

First Report of Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic Virus Infecting Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) and Wax Gourd (Benincasa hispida) in China.

Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) was first discovered in China in 2003 and caused an epidemic in 2005. In China, the virus has been reported in gourd crops including watermelons, cucumbers, melons, etc (Sui et al. 2019). In Shandong Province, China from September 2014 to 2017, approximately 30% of zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) and wax gourd (Benincasa hispida) plants in commercial cucurbit fields, the two most important cash crops, exhibited chlorosis, mosaic, and mottling symptoms suspected to be caused by a tobamovirus. To identify the causative pathogens, ten zucchini and 15 wax gourd samples were collected from the commercial cucurbit fields. Total RNA was extracted and all samples were tested using reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) with TobamodF/TobamodR and TobamodF2/TobamodR2 (Li et al. 2018a). Five common Cucurbitaceae viruses were also tested: cucumber mosaic virus, papaya ringspot virus, squash mosaic virus, watermelon mosaic virus, and zucchini yellow mosaic virus (Ali et al. 2012). All samples generated positive results using tobamovirus generic primers but were negative for the five common Cucurbitaceae viruses. Amplification products (880 bp) from all samples were inserted into pMD19-T and recombinant clones were selected for Sanger sequencing. The results showed that zucchini green mottle mosaic virus, CGMMV, and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) were detected in zucchini samples. CGMMV and TMV were detected in the wax gourd samples. To confirm the presence of these viruses, RT-PCR was performed using specific primer pairs, including CGMMV-cpf/CGMMV-cpr (Chen et al. 2006), ZG-F/ZG-R (Li et al. 2018b), and TMV-CP-F/TMV-CP-R (Srivastava et al. 2015). CGMMV was detected in all samples, with four zucchini and nine wax gourds only containing CGMMV. Zucchini (n=4; CGZ1-CGZ4) and wax gourd (n=4; CGWX1-CGWX4) isolates were cloned into pMD19-T and sequenced bidirectionally. The BLASTn results confirmed the presence of CGMMV, and the sequencing results were processed using DNAMAN Version (Lynnon Biosoft, San Ramon, CA, USA) and submitted to the GenBank database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/). A phylogenetic tree based on the CGMMV coat protein (CP) was constructed using CGZ1-CGZ4 (OP779762-OP779765), CGWX1-CGWX4 (OP779766-OP779769), and representative CGMMV sequences from GenBank. Sequence analysis of the CP demonstrated that CGMMV-zucchini and -wax gourd isolates belonged to an independent branch of the Chinese muskmelon AH-FT197 isolate (KU175639) and had 100% identity with the AH-FT197 isolate. To confirm their infectivity, leaf sap extract of CGZ4 and CGWX4 in phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.0) was mechanically inoculated on leaves of virus-free zucchini seedlings (Cucurbita pepo cv. Zaoqingyidai, 4-leaf-stage, n = 10) or virus-free wax gourd seedlings (Benincasa hispida cv. Tiezhu 2, n = 10). Ten days after inoculation, all plants exhibited symptoms (systemic chlorosis, mosaic, and mottling) similar to those of diseased plants in the field. Control seedlings inoculated with phosphate buffer remained symptomless. RT-PCR analysis using the CGMMV-cpf/CGMMV-cpr primer confirmed that all ten zucchini or wax gourd seedlings were infected with CGMMV, and all the control plants were free from CGMMV. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on zucchini and wax gourd as natural hosts for CGMMV in China. CGMMV is a highly contagious seed-borne virus and further attention should be paid to its spread in cucurbit crops.

Evolution of cucurbit-infecting tobamoviruses: Recombination and codon usage bias

Currently, there are seven cucurbit-infecting tobamoviruses comprising cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), Kyuri green mottle mosaic virus (KGMMV), cucumber fruit mottle mosaic virus (CFMMV), zucchini green mottle mosaic virus (ZGMMV), cucumber mottle virus (CMoV), watermelon green mottle mosaic virus (WGMMV), and Trichosanthes mottle mosaic virus (TrMMV). To gain more insights into their evolution, recombination analyses were conducted. Four CGMMV isolates and one KGMMV isolate were suggested to be recombinants. And there was an interspecies recombination event between CGMMV and ZGMMV. Phylogenetic incongruence was also observed for CGMMV and KGMMV. A probable ancestral pattern was inferred for the gene junction region between RdRp and MP. Codon usage bias analysis revealed that the viral genes had additional influence independent of compositional constraint. In codon preference, the seven viruses were both similar to and different from the host cucumber (Cucumis sativus). Moreover, the viruses were not deficient in CpG and UpA dinucleotides.

First Report of Natural Infection of Siraitia grosvenorii by Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic Virus in China

Fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii (family Cucurbitaceae) are used as a sweetener in beverage and traditional herbal medicine production in China. Some viruses have been known to infect S. grosvenorii, such as papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), watermelon mosaic virus (WMV), and zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) (Cai et al. 2001; Liao et al. 2005; Qin et al. 2005). In August 2017, six S. grosvenorii samples (nos. LHG-1 to LHG-6) that showed mosaic, chlorosis, and mottling of leaves were collected from Yongfu, Guangxi province, China. All symptomatic samples were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in double antibody sandwich format for 10 known cucurbit-infecting viruses, including cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), cucumber mosaic virus, kyuri green mottle mosaic virus, PRSV, squash mosaic virus, tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), watermelon silver mottle virus, WMV, zucchini green mottle mosaic virus, and ZYMV. The sample LHG-1 with chlorosis and mottle symptoms reacted positively against the antisera of CGMMV and TMV (Adgen, U.K.) but negatively against antisera of the other viruses. The other samples were negative in ELISA for all viruses tested. Total RNA was extracted from the LHG-1 sample using TRIzol reagent (Takara Dalian, China) following the manufacturer’s instructions. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays using CGMMV-specific primer pair CGM1/CGM2 (Huang et al. 2007) and TMV-specific primers (Li et al. 2000) showed a positive RT-PCR product of the expected size (650 bp) for CGMMV but not for TMV. The amplicon was further cloned into pMD-18-T vector (Takara Dalian) and sequenced (GenBank accession no. MK858182). Sequence analysis revealed that the RT-PCR product showed 99% nucleotide identity to the sequences of CGMMV isolates available in GenBank (accession nos. HM008919, KY753928, KX883833, KP868654, KM873786, and MH271443). The virus in LHG-1 was therefore identified as an isolate of CGMMV and named as CGMMV-LHG. Additionally, to confirm the infectivity of CGMMV-LHG, leaf sap extract in phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.0) of LHG-1 was mechanically inoculated on leaves of S. grosvenorii and Lagenaria siceraria seedlings. Ten days after inoculation, S. grosvenorii produced symptoms similar to the diseased plants in the field, and systemic mosaic and vein-banding were observed on L. siceraria. The control seedlings inoculated with phosphate buffer remained symptomless. Presence of CGMMV in inoculated plants was confirmed by RT-PCR. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of CGMMV infection on S. grosvenorii under natural conditions. The virus can be transmitted by seeds, infects various cucurbit species, and causes yield losses all over the world (Liu et al. 2014; Wu et al. 2011). Use of virus-free seeds and seedlings will be helpful to control CGMMV in S. grosvenorii production areas.

First Report of Natural Infection of Zucchini Green Mottle Mosaic Virus on Bottle Gourd in Guangxi, China.

First Report of Natural Infection of Zucchini Green Mottle Mosaic Virus on Bottle Gourd in Guangxi, China.

Detection of tobamoviruses by RT-PCR using a novel pair of degenerate primers

A generic RT-PCR assay was developed for the universal detection of viruses of the genus Tobamovirus using a novel pair of degenerate primers designed based on conserved regions on replicase genes of 32 tobamoviruses. The assay detected nine tobamoviruses, including six Solanaceae-infecting subgroup tobamoviruses of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV), Tomato mottle mosaic virus (ToMMV), Tobacco mottle green mosaic virus (TMGMV), Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), Paprika mild mottle virus (PaMMV), one Orchidaceae-infecting tobamovirus of Odontoglossum ringspot virus (ORSV) and two Cucurbitaceae-infecting subgroup tobamoviruses of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) and Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus (ZGMMV), with high amplification efficiency, specificity and sensitivity. The assay was applied to detect tobamoviruses in pepper and tomato fields. Five tobamoviruses, PMMoV, TMV, ToMV, ToMMV and TMGMV, were detected from the pepper fields in single and mixed infections. Single infections of PMMoV, ToMV and ToMMV and mix-infection of ToMV + PMMoV were detected from the tomato fields. Among these viruses, PMMoV was first detected from tomato worldwide, while ToMMV was first detected from tomato plants in China. This generic assay is simple, cost-effective and has great potential to detect more tobamoviruses in the field.

Simultaneous multiplex PCR detection of seven cucurbit-infecting viruses

Two multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) systems using dual priming oligonucleotide (DPO) primers were developed for the simultaneous detection of seven cucurbit-infecting viruses. One system allows for the detection of papaya ringspot virus, watermelon mosaic virus, and zucchini yellow mosaic virus, whereas the other permits the detection of cucumber green mottle mosaic virus, cucumber fruit mottle mosaic virus, kyuri green mottle mosaic virus, and zucchini green mottle mosaic virus. Viral species-specific DPO primers developed in this study detected as little as 10fg/μl of viral RNA under monoplex conditions and 10pg/μl of viral RNA under multiplex conditions. Multiplex PCR using the DPO primer sets was capable of amplifying viral genes at annealing temperatures ranging from 53°C to 63°C. Whereas the use of conventional primers gave rise to non-specific bands, the DPO primers detected target viral genes in the absence of non-specific amplification. When these DPO multiplex primer sets were applied to virus-infected cucurbit samples obtained in the field, multiple infection as well as single infection was accurately identified. This novel approach could also detect multiple viruses in infected seeds. The reliability of multiplex PCR systems using DPO primers for plant virus detection is discussed.

Occurrence Of Viruses Infecting Watermelon, Other Cucurbits, and Weeds in the Parts of Southern United States

Field surveys were conducted to determine the distribution and frequency of viruses infecting watermelon and other cucurbits in the southern US in 2010 and 2011. Leaf samples were collected from 715 symptomatic plants from 10 states and were tested by dot-immunobinding assays or reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction for 17 viruses that included Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV), Cucurbit aphid born yellows virus (CABYV), Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV), Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Melon necrotic spot virus (MNSV), Papaya ringspot virus-W (PRSV-W), Squash leaf curl virus (SLCuV), Soybean mosaic virus (SMV), Squash mosaic virus (SqMV), Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV), Tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV), Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV), Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV), Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), and Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus (ZGMMV). Thirteen out of 17 viruses were detected in this study. The distribution of detected viruses varied with the highest average frequency for WMV (30.6%), followed by PRSV-W (24.7%), ZYMV (13.9%), TRSV (5.7%), SqMV (3.5%), and MNSV (2.6%). The percent frequency of the remaining viruses was less than 2%. Seven viruses (AMV, BPMV, CMV, SqMV, TRSV, PRSV-W, and ZYMV) were also detected either from nearby agricultural crops or weeds species. Mixed infections were also recorded for some viruses with potyviruses being the most common. There is limited information on frequency and distribution of viruses that occur on watermelon and other cucurbits. These results indicate that potyviruses, particularly PRSV-W, WMV, and ZYMV, are frequently present in infected watermelon and other cucurbits in the southern US. Accepted for publication 30 July 2012. Published 24 August 2012.

Immunocapture RT-PCR을 이용한 박과작물 종자전염 바이러스의 검출

Immunocapture reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (IC-RT-PCR) was applied to the detection of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), Kyuri green mottle mosaic virus (KGMMV), and Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus (ZGMMV) on Cucurbitaceae crops. These seed-borne tobamoviruses were accurately detected from the infected leaves and seeds by IC-RT-PCR. This method was estimated to be about 100 times more sensitive than ELISA, and also it allowed the direct confirmation of ELISA results by using the captured antigens from a completed ELISA microwell. This convenient and reliable method could be used routinely for large-scale field surveys or seed tests of Cucurbitaceae crops.

Molecular and Serological Characterization of Cucumber mottle virus, a New Cucurbit-Infecting Tobamo-like Virus.

A new tobamo-like virus was isolated from a greenhouse-grown cucumber that showed severe mosaic distortion on leaves and fruit, in the southern part of Japan. The virus was tentatively designated Cucumber mottle virus (CuMoV) and further characterized. The size and antigenicity of the coat protein (CP) and the complete sequence of the genome were compared with those of the known cucurbit-infecting tobamoviruses: the W and SH strains of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), the C and Y strains of Kyuri green mottle mosaic virus (KGMMV), Cucumber fruit mottle mosaic virus (CFMMV), and Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus (ZGMMV). The CP of CuMoV migrated more slowly than those of CGMMV-W and -SH and KGMMV-C and -Y in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In Western blot analysis, the CP of CuMoV cross-reacted weakly with antisera against CGMMV-W and did not react with antisera against KGMMV-Y. The overall nucleotide sequence of CuMoV had 62.5 to 63.5% identity with those of CGMMV-W, -SH, KGMMV-Y, CFMMV, and ZGMMV. The genome organization was characteristic of tobamoviruses, encoding a 131-kb protein, a 188-kb protein, a movement protein (MP), and CP in 5' to 3' order. In the phylogenetic analyses of the CP, CuMoV was placed in a separate lineage from CGMMV-W, -SH, KGMMV-C, -Y, CFMMV, and ZGMMV. The results indicate that CuMoV is a distinct tobamovirus species which represents a third sub-subgroup in the cucurbit-infecting tobamoviruses.

박과 작물 종자전염 바이러스 3종(CGMMV, ZGMMV, KGMMV)의 간편한 동시진단 VC/RT-PCR 유전자 진단

박과 작물에 발생하는 종자전염성 막대형 바이러스인 CGMMV, KGMMV, ZGMMV 3종의 단독 및 동시 VC/RT-PCR 유전자 진단법을 개발하였다. CGMMV 등 3종의 바이러스에 대한 동시진단용 조합선발을 위하여 12조합 중에서 동시 진단용 프라이머 조합 CGMMV-C724, KGMMV-K513, ZGMMV-Z407A를 선발하였다. CGMMV등 3종에 대한 triplex VC/RT-PCR 유전자 진단법은 박, 수박, 오이, 멜론, 쥬키니 호박, 애호박, 담배(N. benthamiana) 작물의 식물체 즙액과 프라이머 간에 간섭현상 없이 특이적으로 진단되었다. The genetic diagnostic method of virion capture (VC)/RT-PCR was developed for the simultaneous detection of three rod shaped viruses of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), Kyuri green mottle mosaic virus(KGMMV) and Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus (ZGMMV) transmitted by seed in Cucurbit. Out of 12 primer combinations for the three tobamoviruses, a primer set of CGMMV-C724, KGMMV-K513 and ZGMMV-Z407A was useful for mono and triplex VC/RT-PCR. The triplex VC/RT-PCR for the three tobamovirus in Cucurbit could detect specifically without interference among primers and/or plant species of watermelon, gourd, cucumber, melon, pumpkin, squash and Nicotiana benthamiana.

Study on Environmental Risk Assessment for Potential Effect of Genetically Modified Nicotiana benthamiana Expressing ZGMMV Coat Protein Gene

Transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants harboring the coat protein(CP) gene of Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus(ZGMMV) were chosen as a model host for the environmental risk assessment of genetically modified plants with virus resistance. This study was focused on whether new virus type may arise during serial inoculation of one point CP mutant of ZGMMV on the transgenic plants. In vitro transcripts derived from the non-functional CP mutant were inoculated onto the virus-tolerant and -susceptible transgenic N. benthamiana plants. Any notable viral symptoms that could arise on the inoculated transgenic host plants were not detected, even though the inoculation experiment was repeated a total of ten times. This result suggests that potential risk associated with the CP-expressiing transgenic plants may not be significant. However, cautions must be taken as it does not guarantee environmental safety of these CP-mediated virus-resistant plants, considering the limited number of the transgenic plants tested in this study. Further study at a larger scale is needed to evaluate the environmental risk that might be associated with the CP-mediated virus resistant plant.

Construction of Antibodies for Detection and Diagnosis of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus from Watermelon Plants

We immunized BALB/c mice with purified Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus isolate HY1 (CGMMV-HY1). Through the selection of positive clones that were grown on the HAT medium, four sensitive monoclonal clones (CG99-01, CG99-02, CG99-03, and CG99-04) were selected from 500 Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase positive hybridoma cells. Four sensitive clones of CGMMV-HYI were determined as IgM type of the subclass of mouse immunoglobulins Ig group. The titer of monoclonal antiserum against CGMMVHY1 was estimated 1:12,800 by the indirect ELISA. Although monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) from CG99-01 and from CG99-04 cross-reacted with Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus and Kyuri green mottle mosaic virus, MAb from the cell line CG99-03 was highly specific to CGMMV. No MAbs cross-reacted with Cucumber mosaic virus-Fny. Only CG99-04 reacted with Pepper mild mottle virus weakly and CG99-02 reacted with both CGMMV and KGMMV. CGMMV was detected from the rind of watermelon fruit by DAS-ELISA of CGMMV-HY1, but not from the flesh of watermelon. Average seed transmission rate of CGMMV in watermelon was from symptomatic watermelon collected from 5 regions of Gyeongnam province. CGMMV was detected by DAS-ELISA with specific MAb of CGMMVHY1 periodically from root stock, during the sequential process for nursery seedling in Haman. Necrotic spots on cotyledons of root stock seedling progressed to reveal the typical symptomatology on the primary leaves of scion upon grafting. Here, we have established MAb based ELISA system, which could accurately detect CGMMV from watermelon seeds, nursery seedlings, transplants and field samples from greenhouse or open out door field as well.

Virus Resistant and Susceptible Transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana Plants Expressing Coat Protein Gene of Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus for LMO Safety Assessment

Transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants harboring coat protein (CP) gene of Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus (ZGMMV) were generated for virus-resistant screening and complementation analysis of related viruses for environmental safety assessment (SA) of living modified organism (LMO) purposes. Transformation of leaf disc of N.benthamiana was performed by using Agrobacterium-mediated method and the pZGC-PPGA748 containing the ZGMMV CP and NPTII genes. Two kinds of transgenic homozygous groups, virus-resistant and virus-susceptible N.benthamiana lines, were obtained by screening of challenging homologous virus for Tl generations. These two pathologically different lines can be useful for host-virus interactions and LMO environmental SA.

Plant virus cDNA chip hybridization for detection and differentiation of four cucurbit-infecting Tobamoviruses

A plant virus cDNA chip was developed by using viral cDNA clones and microarray technology. The cDNA chip was designed for detection and differentiation of the four species of selected cucurbit-infecting tobamoviruses [target viruses: Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV); Cucumber fruit mottle mosaic virus (CFMMV); Kyuri green mottle mosaic virus (KGMMV); and Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus (ZGMMV)]. The chip consisted of cDNA clones of the four cucurbit-infecting tobamoviruses, two target-related tobamoviruses, and another three unrelated plant viruses. Polymerase chain reaction products were amplified from the selected cDNA clones and arrayed onto slide glass. The cDNA chip, which was called cucurbit-virus chip, detected successfully specific target viruses. When applied to probes made from ZGMMV-infected samples, ZGMMV reacted strongly with its homologous cDNA and moderately reacted with KGMMV and CFMMV, while it did not react with CGMMV on the same chip. CGMMV probe gave strong signal intensity to its homologous cDNA spot and weakly reacted with ZGMMV, KGMMV, and CFMMV. The signal intensity of all combinations of probe and target was correlated significantly with nucleotide sequence identities between the probes and target viruses based on scatter diagrams. The signals could be made as image files for specific virus detection, and this could be useful for virus identification and differentiation. This is the first report of plant virus detection by using cDNA chip technology.

Genome Structure and Production of Biologically Active In Vitro Transcripts of Cucurbit-Infecting Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus

ABSTRACT The complete nucleotide sequence of the Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus (ZGMMV), a new member of the genus Tobamovirus, has been determined. The genome of ZGMMV is 6,513 nucleotides long and contains four open reading frames coding for proteins of 131, 189, 28, and 17 kDa from the 5' to 3' end, respectively. The 5'- and 3'-non-translated regions consist of 59 and 163 residues, respectively. The sequences of the viral proteins exhibit high identity to the proteins of the members of the genus Tobamovirus and are distinct from other viruses within the subgroup of cucurbit-infecting tobamoviruses. Results from phylogenetic trees of the coding regions demonstrated that ZGMMV is a very close relative of Kyuri green mottle mosaic virus and Cucumber fruit mottle mosaic virus and is less similar to Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus. Full-length cDNA of ZGMMV was directly amplified by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using the 5'-end primer containing a T7 RNA promoter sequence and 3'-end primer. Capped in vitro transcript from the RT-PCR products was infectious on zucchini squash, cucumber, and Nicotiana benthamiana plants. This cell-free system to produce infectious transcripts from uncloned cDNA copies is useful for quick assessment of infectivity of transcripts from plant RNA viruses prior to cloning. Synthesized capped transcript from a full-length cDNA clone of the virus was highly infectious. Progeny virus derived from infectious transcripts had the same biological and biochemical properties as wild-type virus. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a biologically active transcript from a cucurbit-infecting tobamovirus.