Tall oatgrass mosaic virus (TOgMV): a novel member of the genus Tritimovirus infecting Arrhenatherum elatius.

A novel tritimovirus of the family Potyviridae was isolated from tall oatgrass, Arrhenatherum elatius, exhibiting mosaic symptoms. The virus, for which the name tall oatgrass mosaic virus (TOgMV) is coined, has a filamentous particle of 720 nm and is associated with pinwheel inclusion bodies characteristic of members of the family Potyviridae. The virus was mechanically transmitted to tall oatgrass seedlings, which subsequently exhibited mosaic symptoms. The experimental host range was limited to a few monocot species. The complete genome sequence of TOgMV was determined to be 9359 nucleotides, excluding the 3' polyadenylated tail. The viral RNA encodes one large putative open reading frame of 3029 amino acids with a genome organization typical of monopartite potyvirids. Pairwise comparison of putative mature proteins and proteinase cleavage sites indicated that TOgMV is most closely related to members of the genus Tritimovirus. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete polyprotein and CP sequences of representative members of the family Potyviridae indicate that TOgMV is a distinct tritimovirus naturally infecting tall oatgrass.