SEQUENCE DIVERSITY IN THE COAT PROTEIN OF SCMV INFECTING MAIZE AND SORGHUM IN BRAZIL

The “maize common mosaic” is among the major virus diseases of this crop in Brazil.  Although there were evidences indicating Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) as the most common potyvirus species in maize in Brazil, information about those species that infect sorghum plants are few.  Leaves showing characteristic mosaic symptoms were collected from maize and sorghum and used in serological and sequencing analysis of the CP for potyvirus species identification. Amino acid (aa) analysis of the CP N-terminal sequence of our samples showed a different repeated sequence, a higher content of the dipeptide GT, and a 15 aa longer than the majority of the SCMV sequences used for comparisons. The Brazilian maize and sorghum potyviruses formed a monophyletic group, suggesting that they can be classified within a new SCMV strain.  Studies using potyvirus CP sequencing from Brazilian sorghum potyvirus have been reported for the first time.