Complete genome sequences of blueberry red ringspot virus (Caulimoviridae) isolates from the Czech Republic and Slovenia

Genomic DNA of blueberry red ringspot virus (genus Soymovirus , family Caulimoviridae ) from highbush blueberry plants growing for years in the Czech Republic and Slovenia was sequenced. The circular dsDNA genomes consist of 8,303 and 8,299 nt, respectively, and contain eight open reading frames (ORFs) longer than 100 amino acids. The European isolates are 90% to 99% identical in aa sequences of distinct proteins. In contrast to the American New Jersey isolate, in-frame initiation codons have been found upstream from AUG codons of ORFs I, IV and V in the European isolates. These and other differences resulted in a longer capsid protein, reverse transcriptase, movement protein and protein the encoded by ORF VII and reduced (75.4% to 93.7%) amino acid identity with corresponding proteins of the New Jersey isolate.