The E116 isolate of Dutch pea early-browning virus is a recombinant virus

The complete nucleotide sequence of RNA2 of the E116 isolate of Dutch pea early-browning virus (PEBV-D) was obtained from overlapping cDNA clones. The RNA was found to encode three open reading frames corresponding to, in 5′ to 3′ order, the coat protein, the 2b nematode transmission protein and the C-terminal part of the cysteine-rich 1b protein derived from RNA1. The 3′ non-coding region of PEBV-D RNA2 was also shown to be derived from RNA1. This is the first demonstration that recombination of PEBV occurs in nature. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of the PEBV-D RNA2 proteins with those of British PEBV and several isolates of tobacco rattle virus reveals complex patterns of mixing of the genomes of these two viruses.