Complete genomic RNA sequence of the Polish Pepino mosaic virus isolate belonging to the US2 strain

We have determined the complete nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the Polish Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) isolate marked as PepMV-PK. The PepMV-PK genome consists of a single positive-sense RNA strand of 6412-nucleotide-long that contains five open reading frames (ORFs). ORF1 encodes the putative viral polymerase (RdRp), ORFs 2–4 the triple gene block (TGB 1–3), and ORF5-coat protein CP. Two short untranslated regions flank the coding ones and there is a poly (A) tail at the 3′ end of the genomic RNA. Thus, the genome organization of PepMV-PK is that of a typical member of the genus Potexvirus. Phylogenetic analysis based on full-length genomes of PepMV sequences showed that PepMV-PK was most closely related to the Ch2 isolate from Chile. Comparison of PepMV-PK and Ch2 showed the following nucleotide identities: 98% for the RdRp, 99% for the CP genes, and 98, 99, and 98% for the TGB1, TGB2, and TBG3, respectively. This high level of nucleotide sequence identity between the Chilean and Polish PepMV-PK isolates suggest their common origin.