Petunia vein-clearing virus: a plant pararetrovirus with the core sequences for an integrase function.

Petunia vein-clearing virus (PVCV) is a plant pararetrovirus that has some features of retrotransposons. It encapsidates dsDNA and has isometric particles and inclusion bodies similar to those of caulimoviruses. The PVCV genome of 7205 bp has two large ORFs in the transcribed strand and a methionine tRNA primer-binding site in its 663-bp intergenic region. The N-terminal position of the large protein (126 kDa) encoded by ORF I has similarity to the movement protein of caulimoviruses. Toward the C-terminus of this same polyprotein are the two distinctive sequence elements [HHCC and DD(35)E] of the integrase function of retroviruses and retrotransposons. ORF II of PVCV encodes a protein of 125 kDa with domains for an RNA-binding element, common to the gag gene of retroelements, followed by consensus sequences for an acid protease, reverse transcriptase, and ribonuclease H. Hence, the gag equivalent (capsid protein) and pol gene of PVCV are part of the same polyprotein. Phylogenetic comparison of the reverse transcriptase of PVCV with that of various other retroelements grouped PVCV between caulimoviruses and the Ty3/gypsy retrotransposons, suggesting that PVCV is a divergent member of the caulimoviruses.