Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of the 3'-terminal regions of one aphid and two non-aphid transmissible isolates of potato A potyvirus

The sequences of the 3'-terminal 1145 nucleotides of two non-aphid transmissible (NAT) isolates (All and Juliniere) and one aphid transmissible (AT) isolate (Rouge) of potato virus A (PVA) RNA were determined. Those sequences contained the complete coding region of the coat protein (CP) followed by a 3'-nontranslated region (3'-NTR) of 225 (Ali and Juliniere) and 227 (Rouge) nucleotides. The obtained sequences were compared to those of the 3'-regions of four published PVA isolates and a virus described as tamarillo mosaic virus (TamMV) which on the basis of sequence data is a strain of PVA. The analysis of the 3'-terminal region of PVA isolates indicated that the CP N-terminal variable domain (32 residues) divides PVA isolates into two subgroups, where only tripeptide DAG correlates with aphid transmissibility. In addition to DAG/DAS sequence we found four other amino acids at the N-terminus of PVA CP, which are conserved in two subgroups. The central region (core part and C-termini) of CP is highly conserved among all PVA isolates (96.6 to 99.6%). 3'-NTR, separates PVA isolates into two subgroups on the basis of its length and homology.