A New Polerovirus Associated with Pepper-Yellowing in Saudi Arabia

Recently, bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) was observed showing interveinal yellowing and upward rolling of the leaf in Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia. The symptoms observed were closely resembled with pepper- infecting poleroviruses. Generic RT-PCR assay confirmed the presence of polerovirus in tested bell pepper samples. Sequencing of the generic amplicon revealed high similarity (87.6-98.1% in nt) with four poleroviruses; Tobacco vein distorting virus, Pepper vein yellows virus, Pepper yellows virus and Pepper yellow leaf curl virus. To further characterize one of these isolates (105-D), a larger part of the genome (~1300 nt) spanning from the 3'end of ORF2 to the middle of ORF3, was amplified and sequenced. Low amino acid and nucleotide identity percentages were calculated in the CP and MP partial genes, that led to NGS to acquire a larger part of the genome, resulted in the reconstruction of partial genome (5496 nt); a divergent polerovirus isolate, tentatively named as "Pepper leafroll chlorosis virus (PeLRCV)". Greenhouse experiments showed that PeLRCV is vectored by Aphis gossypii. To our knowledge, is the first study dealing with polerovirus, infecting bell pepper in KSA.