Classification of several tobamoviruses isolated in China on the basis of the amino acid composition of their virion proteins.

The amino acid compositions of the virion proteins of several tobamoviruses isolated in China were determined. A classification computed from these and published data of other tobamoviruses was compared with published data of their relatedness assessed using the cDNA:RNA molecular hybridization technique. The classifications are clearly congruent; that based on amino acid composition appears to be best for determining the hierarchical relationships of members within a taxonomic group, rather than for distinguishing between closely related members, whereas nucleic acid hybridization unequivocally places a virus into the appropriate subgroup but is less useful for determining distant relationships.