Nucleotide Sequence of the Coat Protein Gene of the Malaysian Passiflora Virus and its 3ʹ Non-Coding Region

Problem statement: In this study, we identified the full length Coat Protein (CP) gene of the Malaysian Passiflora Virus (MPV) and its 3ʹ non-coding region. The CP gene of the MPV contained 285 amino acid residues. Approach: Pairwise comparison of the MPV CP region with four other potyviruses, namely East Asian Passiflora Virus (EAPV), Passionfruit Woodiness Virus (PWV), Bean Common Mosaic Virus (BCMV) and Soyabean Mosaic Virus (SMV) revealed amino acid sequence similarities ranging from 72-95%. Results: The 3ʹ non-coding region of the MPV, which consists of 255 nucleotides, showed 69-95% nucleotide sequence identity when compared with the four potyviruses. The highest (95%) sequence similarities were detected with PWV and EAPV. An analysis of the deduced amino acid sequences revealed the presence of consensus motifs (DAG tripeptides) characteristic of potyviruses. DAG tripeptides had been reported to be essential for aphid transmission. Conclusion: From the amino acid sequence alignment and identity level observed among the four other potyviruses, we concluded that MPV is a member of the genus Potyvirus and was closely related to both PWV and EAPV.