Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
(eISSN: 2229-4473)
Occurrence and molecular characterization of cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) RNA-2 infecting cowpea plants in India
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Research Article | Published: 04 August, 2026
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Keywords: Molecular characterization, Sequencing, Phylogenetics, Evolutionary studies, Plants
Abstract
The RNA-2 sequence of Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV, Comovirus vignae) is submitted from India for the first time. At present, only seven CPMV isolates from different countries have fully characterized genomes. High-throughput sequencing (Illumina HiSeq) of the entire RNA extract from cowpea plants collected in Haryana and Delhi elucidated the genomic sequence. RNA-2 is 3484 nucleotides in length, excluding the poly (A) tail, and exhibits a sequence identity ranging from 94.11 to 99.17% with other CPMV isolates. The serological test, such as DAS-ELISA, confirmed the presence of the infection. Mechanically inoculated plants exhibited symptoms similar to CPMV. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the significant cytoplasmic changes in the infected plant. The sequence confirmed the identity of the middle component RNA (M RNA) of CPMV and has been submitted to NCBI GenBank under accession no. PQ687469. The open reading frames (ORFs) are analyzed, and the potential polyprotein cleavage sites are observed. Phylogenetic analysis and recombination study clarify the evolutionary relationship and the virus’s dynamic properties. The identified purifying selection pressure signifies the evolutionary constraints of maintaining the essential viral functions.
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Author Information
Department of Life Sciences, Sharda School of Bio-Science and Technology, Sharda University, Greater Noida, India