We report the first complete genome sequence of an isolate of Passiflora chlorosis virus (PaCV), a member of the Potyviridae family, identified in passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) plants grown in Israel. The assembled genome is 9672 nucleotides long and encodes a 3084 amino acids polyprotein that is predicted to be proteolytically cleaved into 10 mature peptides. Our analysis of the genome sequence shows that PaCV is a distinct species, sharing 68.5% nucleotide sequence identity and 71.5% amino acid sequence identity with isolates of the bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV), the most closely related virus classified within the genus Potyvirus. Using quantitative PCR, we detected the virus in RNA samples from leaves exhibiting symptoms of infection, with higher levels in clearly chlorotic leaves, but not in those from healthy leaves.
Keywords: Passiflora chlorosis virus; Passiflora edulis; Potyviridae; passion fruit; potyviruses.