Partial Molecular Characterization of a Czech Isolate of Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3

Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3) is an important pathogen of grapevine in the Czech Republic. A Czech isolate was studied at the molecular level in order to extend data on molecular variability of the virus from the central European region. Three conserved regions (genes encoding the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, the heat shock protein 70 and the 55 kDa protein) were amplified using reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction, sequenced and compared with related available sequences. On the sequenced regions, the Czech isolate revealed more than 99% nucleotide and amino acid identity with the published full-length sequence of a North American GLRaV-3 isolate and a similarly high identity with available partial GLRaV-3 sequences of isolates from different parts of the world. The phylogenetic position of the new and already characterized GLRaV-3 isolates within the Ampelovirus genus is discussed.