Genetic Variability and Evidence of a New Subgroup in Watermelon Mosaic Virus Isolates

Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) is one of the important Potyviruses that infect cucurbits worldwide. To better understand the population structure of WMV in the United States (U.S.), 57 isolates were collected from cucurbit fields located in nine southern states. The complete coat protein gene of all WMV isolates was cloned, sequenced and compared with 89 reported WMV isolates. The nucleotide and amino acid sequence identities among the U.S. WMV isolates ranged from 88.9 to 99.7% and from 91.5 to 100%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all the U.S. WMV isolates irrespective of their geographic origin or hosts belonged to Group 3. However, the fifty-seven isolates made three clusters in G3, where two clusters were similar to previously reported subgroups EM1 and EM2, and the third cluster, containing nine WMV isolates, formed a distinct subgroup named EM5 in this study. The ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous nucleotide substitution was low indicating the occurrence of negative purifying selection in the CP gene of WMV. Phylogenetic analysis of selected 37 complete genome sequences of WMV isolates also supported the above major grouping. Recombination analysis in the CP genes confirmed various recombinant events, indicating that purifying selection and recombination are the two dominant forces for the evolution of WMV isolates in the U.S.

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High Prevalence of Three Potyviruses Infecting Cucurbits in Oklahoma and Phylogenetic Analysis of Cucurbit Aphid-Borne Yellows Virus Isolated from Pumpkins

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10010053 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 53

Author(s):

Vivek Khanal ◽

Harrington Wells ◽

Akhtar Ali

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

Mosaic Virus ◽

Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus ◽

Yellow Mosaic Virus ◽

Watermelon Mosaic Virus ◽

High Prevalence ◽

The Us ◽

Close Relationship ◽

The Status ◽

Low Incidence

Field information about viruses infecting crops is fundamental for understanding the severity of the effects they cause in plants. To determine the status of cucurbit viruses, surveys were conducted for three consecutive years (2016–2018) in different agricultural districts of Oklahoma. A total of 1331 leaf samples from >90 fields were randomly collected from both symptomatic and asymptomatic cucurbit plants across 11 counties. All samples were tested with the dot-immunobinding assay (DIBA) against the antisera of 10 known viruses. Samples infected with papaya ringspot virus (PRSV-W), watermelon mosaic virus (WMV), zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), and cucurbit aphid-borne-yellows virus (CABYV) were also tested by RT-PCR. Of the 10 viruses, PRSV-W was the most widespread, with an overall prevalence of 59.1%, present in all 11 counties, followed by ZYMV (27.6%), in 10 counties, and WMV (20.7%), in seven counties, while the remaining viruses were present sporadically with low incidence. Approximately 42% of the infected samples were positive, with more than one virus indicating a high proportion of mixed infections. CABYV was detected for the first time in Oklahoma, and the phylogenetic analysis of the first complete genome sequence of a CABYV isolate (BL-4) from the US showed a close relationship with Asian isolates.

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THE MATHEMATICS AND GEOGRAPHY OF MASS SHOOTINGS IN THE U.S., 1982-2017

Journal of Student Research ◽

10.47611/jsr.v7i1.459 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 45-49

Author(s):

Maria L. Andersen ◽

Samantha H. Valone ◽

Valeriia K. Vakhitova ◽

Vir Chachra ◽

Paul Martin Sommers

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Mass Shootings ◽

Southern States ◽

The Past ◽

The U.S

The authors use simple bilinear regression to assess changes in the geographical movement (latitude and longitude) of mass shootings in the United States between 1982 and 2017. The path taken by the location of the ninety-five mass shootings over the 36-year period has shifted south. An analysis of differences by census region and blue/red state distinctions within each census region reveals disproportionately many mass shootings in Midwestern states between 2000 and 2008, and disproportionately many in red Southern states over the past three-plus decades.

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Occurrence of a novel strain of Moroccan watermelon mosaic virus infecting pumpkins in Kenya

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-02-21-0359-re ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Naomi Mumo ◽

Elijah Miinda Ateka ◽

Edward Mamati ◽

Fredah Karambu Rimberia ◽

George Ochieng' Asudi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

Mosaic Virus ◽

Sanger Sequencing ◽

Cucurbita Pepo ◽

Citrullus Lanatus ◽

Watermelon Mosaic Virus ◽

Cucurbita Moschata ◽

Genome Sequences ◽

Mediterranean Regions ◽

Sequence Identities

The potyvirus Moroccan watermelon mosaic virus (MWMV) naturally infects and severely threatens production of cucurbits and papaya. In this study, we identified and characterized MWMV isolated from pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) intercropped with MWMV-infected papaya plants through next generation and Sanger sequencing approaches. Complete MWMV genome sequences were obtained from two pumpkin samples through NGS and validated using Sanger sequencing. The isolates share 83.4-83.7 % nucleotide (nt) and 92.3-95.1 % amino acid (aa) sequence identities in the coat protein and 79.5-79.9 % nt and 89.2-89.7 % aa identities in the polyprotein with papaya isolates of MWMV. Phylogenetic analysis using complete polyprotein nt sequences revealed the clustering of both pumpkin isolates of MWMV with corresponding sequences of cucurbit isolates of the virus from other parts of Africa and the Mediterranean regions, distinct from a clade formed by papaya isolates. Through sap inoculation, a pumpkin isolate of MWMV was pathogenic on zucchini (Cucurbita pepo), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), and cucumber (Cucumis sativus), but not on papaya. Conversely, the papaya isolate of MWMV was non-pathogenic on pumpkin, watermelon, and cucumber, but infected zucchini. The results suggest occurrence of two strains of MWMV in Kenya having different biological characteristics associated with the host specificity.

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Morphological and Phylogenetic Resolution of Diplodia corticola and D. quercivora, Emerging Canker Pathogens of Oak (Quercus spp.), in the United States

10.1101/2020.05.08.084111 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Savannah L. Ferreira ◽

Cameron M. Stauder ◽

Danielle K.H. Martin ◽

Matt T. Kasson

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

West Virginia ◽

Phytophthora Cinnamomi ◽

Family Members ◽

Geographic Origin ◽

The United States ◽

Phylogenetic Study ◽

White Oak ◽

Canker Pathogens ◽

The U.S

AbstractIn Mediterranean Europe and the United States, oak species (Quercus spp.) have been in various states of decline for the past several decades. Several insect pests and pathogens contribute to this decline to varying degrees including Phytophthora cinnamomi, Armillaria spp., various insect defoliators, and additionally in the U.S., the oak wilt pathogen, Bretziella fagacearum. More recently, two emerging canker pathogens, Diplodia corticola (Dc) and Diplodia quercivora (Dq) have been implicated in causing dieback and mortality of oak species in Europe and in several regions in the United States. In 2019, a fungal survey was conducted in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern U.S., including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia to determine the range and impact of Dc and Dq on forest health within the U.S. A total of 563 oak trees between red and white oak family members were evaluated across 33 forests spanning 18 counties. A total of 32 Diplodia isolates encompassing three Diplodia spp. were recovered from 5,335 total plugs collected from the 13 of 18 sampled counties. Recovered Diplodia species included Dc, Dq, and D. sapinea (Ds), as well as Botryosphaeria dothidea (Bd), a closely related canker pathogen in the Botryosphaeriaceae. Both Dc and Ds were recovered from red and white oak family members, whereas Dq was exclusive to white oak family members and Bd to red oak family members. Of these species, Dc was most frequently isolated followed by Dq, Ds, and Bd. Overall, mortality was relatively low across all sampled counties, indicating that these fungi, at the levels that were detected, are not widely inciting oak decline across the region, but more likely are acting opportunistically when the environment is conducive for disease. In an attempt to better understand the relationships among Dc and potentially their geographic origin(s), a multi-gene phylogenetic study and corresponding morphological study were conducted. A total of 49 Diplodia isolates from Spain, France, Italy, and the U.S. were assessed. Across all isolates and geographic regions, Dc formed a strongly supported monophyletic clade sister to Dq and included two strongly supported subclades, one that included isolates from Spain and California and a second that included isolates from Italy, Maryland, and West Virginia. Both subclades also exhibited overlapping spore measurements. These results support Dc as a cosmopolitan pathogen, native to both Europe and the U.S. with the possibility of secondary introductions.

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First Complete Genome Sequence of a Watermelon Mosaic Virus Isolated from Watermelon in the United States

Genome Announcements ◽

10.1128/genomea.00299-16 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Naveen Rajbanshi ◽

Akhtar Ali

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Mosaic Virus ◽

Genome Sequence ◽

Complete Genome Sequence ◽

Complete Genome ◽

Virus Isolate ◽

Rio Grande Valley ◽

Rio Grande ◽

The United States ◽

Watermelon Mosaic Virus

Watermelon mosaic virus was first reported in 1965 from the Rio Grande Valley, TX. We report here the first complete genome sequence of a watermelon mosaic virus isolate from watermelon collected from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

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Complete Genome Sequence of a Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus Isolated in the United States

Microbiology Resource Announcements ◽

10.1128/mra.00630-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (29) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Bidisha Chanda ◽

Yazmín Rivera ◽

Schyler O. Nunziata ◽

Marco E. Galvez ◽

Andrea Gilliard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

Genome Sequence ◽

Complete Genome Sequence ◽

Complete Genome ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

The United States ◽

Sequence Identity ◽

Tight Cluster ◽

The World ◽

The U.S

ABSTRACT The complete genome sequence of a U.S. isolate of a Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) (CA18-01) was obtained through Illumina and MinION sequencing. The U.S. ToBRFV isolate shared a high nucleic acid sequence identity (>99%) with known ToBRFV isolates. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a tight cluster for ToBRFV isolates throughout the world, suggesting a short evolutionary history.

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Alive American History: Сivil War of Monuments

Outlines of global transformations politics economics law ◽

10.23932/2542-0240-2018-11-2-12-29 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 12-29

Author(s):

N. M. TRAVKINA

Keyword(s):

Civil Rights ◽

American History ◽

Democratic Party ◽

White Supremacy ◽

Jim Crow ◽

The United States ◽

Military Leaders ◽

Southern States ◽

Legal Barriers ◽

The U.S

The article analyzes the origins and causes of public resistance in the United States about the issue of preservation of monuments, symbolizing the period of the Confederacy in the U.S. South during the Civil war (1861-1865). Indicates that the main factor in the confrontation was a victory in the presidential elections of 2016 of D.Trump, who in the minds of his Democratic Party supporters is associated with racial ideas of “white supremacy”. With the coming to power of D. Trump in the U.S. relatively powerful movement emerged, mainly in the southern States for the demolition and dismantling of Confederate monuments, which symbolize, in the opinion of left-liberal forces, the ideas and theories of superior and inferior races, who were believed to be sunk into oblivion after the adoption in the 1960-s of civil rights laws. Currently in the U.S. there are more than 1.5 thousand artifacts relating to or symbolizing the period of the Confederacy and glorify its military leaders. The specific histories of the dismantling of monuments of the Confederation in various States are outlined. However are considered and the counteractions of the opponents of dismantling the legacy of the Confederacy are considered, which created in the recent years the strong legal barriers for the protection of Confederate monuments under the pretext of protecting the cultural heritage of past historical periods. It is stated that in retrospect, the current wave of dismantling of the Confederate monument is to some extent а justified step because for the first 30 years of the twentieth century these monuments were erected as political symbols of the segregation-racist regime of apartheid established in 26 U.S. States after the adoption of the so- called laws of “Jim Crow” at the turn of XIX-XX centuries. In the conclusion it is stated that under the President D. Trump the severity of the problem of the removal/preservation of Confederate monuments and other monuments of the past American history will remain in the foreseeable future.

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First Report of Cucumber mosaic virus in Anemone sp. in the United States

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-93-4-0431b ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 93 (4) ◽

pp. 431-431 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

I. E. Tzanetakis

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Cucumber Mosaic Virus ◽

Mosaic Virus ◽

Protein A ◽

The United States ◽

University Of Arkansas ◽

Degenerate Primers ◽

First Report ◽

Complete Coat Protein ◽

The University

In the spring of 2008, more than a dozen, aphid-infested, anemone plants (Anemone sp.) grown at the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville showed stunting and mosaic, whereas only two were asymptomatic. Leaf homogenates from four symptomatic plants were inoculated onto Nicotiana benthamiana that became stunted and developed severe mosaic approximately 7 days postinoculation, whereas buffer-inoculated plants remained asymptomatic. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) extraction (4) from symptomatic anemone revealed the presence of four predominant bands of approximately 3.2, 2.9, 2.2, and 0.9 kbp, a pattern indicative of cucumovirus infection. Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is the only cucumovirus reported in anemone in Europe (2) and Israel (3), and for this reason, anemone and N. benthamiana plants were tested by Protein A ELISA with antisera against CMV developed by H. A. Scott. ELISA verified the presence of CMV in symptomatic anemone and inoculated N. benthamiana, while asymptomatic plants were free of the virus. Using cucumovirus degenerate primers, essentially as described by Choi et al. (1), a region of approximately 940 bases that includes the complete coat protein gene of the virus was amplified from symptomatic anemone and N. benthamiana but not asymptomatic plants of either species. This anemone isolate (GenBank Accession No. FJ375723) belongs to the IA subgroup of CMV because it shares 99% nucleotide and 100% amino acid sequence identities with the Fny isolates of the virus. To my knowledge, this is the first report of CMV infecting anemone in the United States and an important discovery for the ornamental industry since anemone is commonly grown together with several ornamental hosts of CMV in nursery and garden settings. References: (1) S. K. Choi et al. J. Virol. Methods 83:67, 1999. (2) M. Hollings. Ann. Appl. Biol. 45:44, 1957 (3) G. Loebenstein. Acta Hortic. 722:31, 2006 (4) I. E. Tzanetakis and R. R. Martin, J. Virol. Methods 149:167, 2008.

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Complete Genome Characterization and Coat Protein Genealogy of Isolates of Maize dwarf mosaic virus from Johnsongrass and Maize in Oklahoma and Missouri

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-06-19-1274-re ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 104 (4) ◽

pp. 1214-1223

Author(s):

Dulanjani Wijayasekara ◽

Akhtar Ali

Keyword(s):

Coat Protein ◽

Mosaic Virus ◽

Complete Genome ◽

Purifying Selection ◽

Aphid Transmission ◽

The United States ◽

Mosaic Disease ◽

Maize Dwarf Mosaic Virus ◽

Maize Cultivars ◽

Nucleotide Insertion

Maize dwarf mosaic virus (MDMV) significantly affects maize production worldwide, including the United States. This study describes the distribution and biological and molecular characterization of MDMV isolates from Johnsongrass and maize. A total of 262 samples (symptomatic = 214, asymptomatic = 48) were collected in Oklahoma and Missouri during 2016, 2017, and 2019 growing seasons. Based on a dot-immunobinding assay (DIBA), the average incidence of maize dwarf mosaic disease varied from ∼71% (79/111) in 2016, ∼76% (81/106) in 2017, and 62% (28/45) in 2019. Sixty-five DIBA-positive samples for MDMV were further confirmed by RT-PCR, and the complete coat protein (CP) gene was cloned and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of 132 isolates (This study = 65; GenBank = 67) revealed two main groups (G1 and G2) of MDMV isolates. All 65 MDMV isolates contained a 39-nucleotide insertion in the N-terminal region of CP genes and clustered in G1 which were different from the isolates in G2, without 39-nucleotide insertion. The first complete genome (9,563 nucleotides) of a MDMV isolate (Bixby1) from Johnsongrass was sequenced, which was distantly related to eight previously reported MDMV isolates from maize. The dN/dS ratio showed mostly purifying selection on each of cistrons except 6K1 being subjected to the diversifying selection. Further analyses revealed three putative recombination events between MDMV-Bixby1 and MDMV isolates from other countries. The successful mechanical and aphid transmission of MDMV-Bixby1 onto maize cultivars was achieved. Altogether, this information showed that Johnsongrass harbors genetically diverse MDMV isolates, which could pose a threat to cultivated crops such as maize and sorghum.

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First Report of Zucchini yellow mosaic virus Associated with Leaf Crinkle and Yellow Mosaic Diseases of Cucurbit Plants in Mali

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-94-7-0923b ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 94 (7) ◽

pp. 923-923 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

W. S. Tsai ◽

I. K. Abdourhamane ◽

D. Knierim ◽

J. T. Wang ◽

L. Kenyon

Keyword(s):

Coat Protein ◽

Mosaic Virus ◽

Citrullus Lanatus ◽

Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus ◽

The United States ◽

Yellow Mosaic Virus ◽

Nucleotide Identity ◽

Watermelon Mosaic Virus ◽

Virus Species ◽

First Report

The aphid-transmitted Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV; genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae) has been reported to cause severe epidemics and yield losses in cucurbit crops worldwide (1). In Africa, ZYMV has been detected in Algeria, Egypt, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Morocco, Nigeria, Reunion, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, and Tunisia (1). In April 2009, leaf yellowing, mosaic, crinkling, and curling were common on cucurbit plants in fields in Mali. Symptomatic leaf samples were collected from five cucumber (Cucumis sativus) plants in Kati, two watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) plants in Samanko, and one weedy melon (Cucumis sp.) plant in Baguineda. All samples tested positive for ZYMV and were negative for Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), Papaya ringspot virus type W (PRSV-W), Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV), and Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV) by double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA. They also tested negative for Melon yellow spot virus (MYSV) by indirect ELISA. Antibodies against ZYMV and WMV were obtained from DSMZ, Braunschweig, Germany, and those against CGMMV, MYSV, PRSV-W, and WSMoV were provided by Shyi-Dong Yeh, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan. Six ZYMV ELISA-positive samples (three cucumber, two watermelon, and the weedy melon sample) were also tested by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR using the potyvirus universal primer pair Sprimer1/Oligo(dT) (2). The expected 1.6-kb viral cDNA was amplified from all six samples and each was sequenced. All sequences obtained from cucumber (GenBank Accession Nos. HM005307, HM005308, and HM005309), watermelon (GenBank Accession Nos. HM005311 and HM005312), and weedy melon (GenBank Accession No. HM005310) isolates were 1,684 nucleotides (nt) long excluding the 3′ poly-A tails. They comprised the 3′-terminal of the NIb region (1 to 633 nt), the coat protein region (634 to 1473 nt), and the 3′-untranslated region (1,474 to 1,684 nt). Because the sequences shared high nucleotide identity (98.3 to 99.7%), these isolates were considered to be the same virus species. When the sequences were compared by BLASTn searching in GenBank and analyzed by DNAMAN Sequence Analysis Software (Lynnon Corporation, St-Louis, Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada), they were found to have the greatest nucleotide identity (97.4 to 98.0%) with the Connecticut strain of ZYMV (ZYMV-Connecticut; GenBank Accession No. D00692), within a clade of isolates from China, Italy, Japan, and the United States. When assessed separately, their coat protein (97.7 to 98.3% nucleotide and 98.9 to 99.6% amino acid identity) and 3′-untranslated regions (96.7 to 97.2% identity) also had greatest homology with ZYMV-Connecticut. To our knowledge, this is the first report of ZYMV infecting cucurbit plants in Mali. ZYMV should be taken into consideration when breeding cucurbit crops for this region, and managing viral diseases. References: (1) C. Desbiez et al. Plant Pathol. 46:809, 1997. (2) W. S. Tsai et al. Plant Dis. 94:378, 2010.

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