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Interaction of watermelon chlorotic stunt virus with satellites

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Abstract

Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) plants showing begomovirus-like yellowing, curling and stunting symptoms were observed in the Barka Governate, Oman in December 2016. Cloning and sequencing of rolling circle amplified circular DNA molecules showed the plants to be infected with watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV); a bipartite Old World begomovirus that is a serious pathogen of cucurbit crops across the Middle East, Arabian Peninsula and North Africa. Although not known to interact with satellites, the risk of WmCSV possibly interacting with betasatellites and alphasatellites to agriculture in Oman, and beyond, was assessed. Tomato leaf curl betasatellite (ToLCB) and Ageratum enation alphasatellite (AEA) are commonly associated with other begomoviruses in Oman. A cognate pair of WmCSV DNA-A and DNA-B clones was highly infectious to Nicotiana benthamiana by Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation, inducing severe leaf curling and crumpling symptoms. Inoculation of only the DNA-A component with ToLCB or AEA did not result in symptoms or significant levels of the DNA-A or satellites in plants. Inoculation of both DNA-A and DNA-B with ToLCB or AEA resulted in a slight change in symptom phenotype and reduced DNA-A and DNA-B titers. Although ToLCB DNA levels in co-infected plants were low, the levels of AEA were high. This is the first identification of WmCSV infecting pumpkin in Oman and the isolates identified were typical of the virus previously identified in Oman, being distinct from the isolates occurring in the western Arabian Peninsula. Additionally the infectivity analyses suggest that WmCSV interaction with satellites, in contrast to some other bipartite begomoviruses, is unlikely to result in more serious disease in the field.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful to Dr. Adel Al-Shihi for sharing his sequences for analysis. The funding for this research was provided by Sultan Qaboos University under internal grant IG/AGR/CROP/20/02.

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Contributions

MSS conceived the study and supervised the work. MS performed the experimental work. The results were interpreted by MSS and RWB. MNS and MS prepared the first draft of the manuscript which was edited by MSS, AMA and RWB. The final manuscript was read and approved by all authors.

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Correspondence to Muhammad Shafiq Shahid.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

Supplementary Information

ESM 1

Southern blot analysis of DNA extracted from agroinoculated N. benthamiana plants. Blots were probed for the presence of watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV) DNA-A (a), WmCSV DNA-B (b), tomato leaf curl betasatellite (ToLCB) (c) or Ageratum enation alphasatellite (AEA) (d). The samples run on the gels were extracted plants inoculated with WmCSV DNA-A (WmA), WmCSV DNA-B (WmB), ToLCB (Tβ) and/or AEA (Aα), as indicated above each lane. Samples from mock inoculated plants (Mock) or non-inoculated plants (Health) were included as negative controls. In each case the youngest, newly expanding leaves of plants were sampled. Additionally either plasmid (containing the full length clone), or a PCR product, were included as positive controls. For each blot a photograph of the ethidium bromide-stained genomic DNA band on the gel is shown as loading control. The positions of viral/satellite single-stranded (ss) and sub-genomic (sg) DNA forms are indicated. Samples were extracted at 25dpi. (JPG 110 kb)

ESM 2

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Shafiq, M., Sattar, M.N., Shahid, M.S. et al. Interaction of watermelon chlorotic stunt virus with satellites. Australasian Plant Pathol. 50, 117–128 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13313-020-00757-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13313-020-00757-x

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