Identification of a novel pepper-infecting monopartite begomovirus in China

Three full-length monopartite begomovirus sequences were obtained from two field-collected pepper plants exhibiting severe leaf yellowing disease symptoms in Yunnan province of China. The three full-length viral sequences contain 2,748 nucleotides (nt) and share the highest nt sequence similarity (88.2% identity) with that of malvastrum yellow vein Yunnan virus (MYVYNV). The betasatellite molecules of the two viruses share the highest sequence similarity (99.3% identity) with that of malvastrum yellow vein Yunnan betasatellite (MYVYNB). Based on the current species demarcation criteria for the genus Begomovirus, these three newly identified isolates can be considered members of a novel monopartite Begomovirus species, and we have named this virus "pepper yellow leaf curl virus" (PepYLCV). Phylogenetic analysis showed that PepYLCV clustered with pepper leaf curl Yunnan virus (PepLCYNV). Recombination analysis revealed that PepYLCV is likely to have originated through a recombination event between MYVYNV and tomato leaf curl Yunnan virus (TLCYnV).