Molecular characterisation of six badnavirus species associated with leaf streak disease of banana in East Africa

• Published in: Annals of applied biology Vol. 158; no. 3; pp. 346 - 353
• Main Authors: James, A.P., Geijskes, R.J., Dale, J.L., Harding, R.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.05.2011; Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Bacteriology; banana streak virus; Biological and medical sciences; East Africa; endogenous badnavirus; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Plant viruses and viroids; Rolling-circle amplification; Sub-Saharan Africa; East Africa; Africa; Monocotyledones; Plant pathogen; Disease; Tropical zone; Rolling-circle amplification; Climacteric; Caulimoviridae; Characterization; Molecular parameter; Tropical fruit; Badnavirus; Endogenous; Angiospermae; banana streak virus; DNA virus; Species; Plant production; endogenous badnavirus; Tropical crop; Musaceae; Plant leaf; Banana; Virus; Amplification; Musa; Applied biology; Fruit crop; Vegetative apparatus; Spermatophyta; Molecular domain; East Africa
• ISSN: 0003-4746; 1744-7348
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7348.2011.00466.x

Banana leaf streak disease, caused by several species of banana streak virus (BSV), is widespread in East Africa. We surveyed for this disease in Uganda and Kenya, and used rolling‐circle amplification to detect the presence of BSV in banana. Six distinct badnavirus sequences, three from Uganda and three from Kenya, were amplified for which only partial sequences were previously available. The complete genomes were sequenced and characterised. The size and organisation of all six sequences was characteristic of other badnaviruses, including conserved functional domains present in the putative polyprotein encoded by open reading frame (ORF) 3. Based on nucleotide sequence analysis within the reverse transcriptase/ribonuclease H‐coding region of ORF3, we propose that these sequences be recognised as six new species and be designated as Banana streak UA virus, Banana streak UI virus, Banana streak UL virus, Banana streak UM virus, Banana streak CA virus and Banana streak IM virus. Using PCR and species‐specific primers to test for the presence of integrated sequences, we demonstrated that sequences with high similarity to BSIMV only were present in several banana cultivars that had tested negative for episomal BSV sequences.