The satellite RNAs associated with the groundnut rosette disease complex and pea enation mosaic virus: sequence similarities and ability of each other's helper virus to support their replication.

Pea enation mosaic virus (PEMV) and the causal agents of groundnut rosette disease are diverse examples of disease complexes involving two RNA species, one of which is related to the genomes of luteoviruses and the other to those of umbraviruses. In both complexes, these viral RNA components may be supplemented with satellite RNAs that are dependent on the umbravirus component for replication and systemic movement, and on the luteovirus component for encapsidation and vector transmission. Sequence analysis identified regions of similarity between the satellites of groundnut rosette virus (GRV) and PEMV, particularly at the 5' and 3' termini and around duplicate sequence repeats present in each satellite RNA. The umbravirus GRV and the umbravirus-like PEMV RNA-2 were each able to support the replication and systemic spread of homologous and heterologous satellites. The presence of the PEMV satellite in infections with GRV had no effect on symptom expression in Nicotiana spp. or in Arachis hypogaea. Likewise, in Pisum sativum, the GRV satellite had no effect on the symptoms induced by PEMV. However, the intense yellow blotch symptoms induced in Nicotiana benthamiana by the YB3 GRV satellite in conjunction with GRV were also manifested when PEMV was the helper. Although PEMV RNA-1 was capable of supporting the encapsidation and aphid transmission of the GRV satellite, no evidence was obtained that the essential role of the GRV satellite in the aphid transmission of GRV could be supplied by the PEMV satellite. These data further strengthen the hypothesis of an evolutionary relationship between PEMV and the luteovirus-umbravirus complexes.