Genetic Diversity Among Geminiviruses Associated with the Weed Species Sida spp., Macroptilium lathyroides, and Wissadula amplissima from Jamaica.

Genetic diversity among geminiviruses associated with three common weeds in Jamaica was studied using digoxigenin-labeled geminiviral DNA probes, polymerase chain reaction with degenerate primers for DNA-A and DNA-B, nucleic acid sequencing, and derived amino acid sequences. Geminiviruses with bipartite genomes were found in Sida spp., Macroptilium lathyroides, and Wissadula amplissima. The geminiviruses detected in Sida spp. and M. lathyroides were nearly identical and were both designated Sida golden mosaic geminivirus (SidGMV-JA), whereas the geminivirus in W. amplissima was sufficiently different to be designated Wissadula golden mosaic geminivirus (WGMV). Nucleotide sequence comparisons of the common regions and the N-terminal regions of the AC1 (rep) and AV1 ORFs, together with the derived amino acid sequence comparisons of the N-terminal parts of BC1 and BV1 ORFs were used to determine their similarities to other geminiviruses. SidGMV-JA was most similar to potato yellow mosaic geminivirus (PYMV). We propose that these two geminiviruses (SidGMV-JA and PYMV) define a new geminivirus cluster, the potato yellow mosaic virus (PYMV) cluster. WGMV was most similar to members of the Abutilon mosaic virus cluster but is not likely to be included in the Abutilon phylogenetic group because of the divergent sequence of the common region. These results indicate that geminiviruses infecting some weeds in Jamaica are distinct from crop-infecting geminiviruses in Jamaica and define a new geminivirus cluster.