title: Biological and molecular characterization of a putative new sobemovirus infecting Imperata cylindrica and maize in Africa.
abstract: A new virus was isolated from both the grass Imperata cylindrica and maize plants that had yellow mottle symptoms in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The virus has isometric particles ca. 32 nm in diameter. The experimental host range was restricted to Rottboellia exaltata. Virions were isolated from leaves of systemically infected maize plants. Koch's postulates were completed by mechanically inoculating uninfected Imperata or maize with either purified virus or sap from infected Imperata plants. Virion preparations were used to produce a specific polyclonal antiserum, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test was set up. The full genome of the virus was sequenced, and it comprised 4,547 nucleotides. Phylogenetic studies indicated that the virus is closely related to rice yellow mottle virus, a sobemovirus that infects monocotyledons in Africa, and is more distantly related to cocksfoot mottle virus, another sobemovirus that infects monocotyledons. Although the virus can infect R. exaltata experimentally, it differs from Rottboellia yellow mottle virus, a member of a tentative species of the genus Sobemovirus that also infects monocotyledons in Africa. Particle morphology, serological properties, genomic organization, and phylogenetic analysis are all consistent with assignment of the new virus to the genus Sobemovirus. The name Imperata yellow mottle virus is proposed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Virologie et de Biotechnologies Végétales, Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, Burkina Faso. sereme@gmail.com
authors.forename: Drissa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sérémé
authors.forename: Séverine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lacombe
authors.forename: Moumouni
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Konaté
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pinel-Galzi
authors.forename: Valentin Stanislas Edgar
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Traoré
authors.forename: Eugénie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hébrard
authors.forename: Oumar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Traoré
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brugidou
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fargette
authors.forename: Gnissa
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Konaté
mesh_terms: D002050:Burkina Faso; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D023061:Gene Order; D016679:Genome, Viral; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000821:virology; D010942:Plant Viruses / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006109:Poaceae / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D014771:Virion / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003313:Zea mays / Q000821:virology*