Isolates of Citrus tristeza virus that overcome Poncirus trifoliata resistance comprise a novel strain

Abstract

The economically important rootstock species Poncirus trifoliata is resistant to most isolates of Citrus tristeza virus (CTV), but not to members of the CTV resistance-breaking (RB) strain presently found in New Zealand. In this study, five known and suspected RB isolates were separated from field mixtures, and their genomes were sequenced in full. It was found that the RB isolates are members of a single phylogenetically distinct clade with an average of 90.3% genomic nucleotide sequence identity to the closest extant isolate, T36. These isolates also show evidence of multiple recombination events throughout their evolutionary history, with T36, T30 and VT-like isolates, and with each other. Finally, the genomic sequences of these isolates show that several genes contain unique polymorphisms that may or may not be involved in overcoming resistance. These data will aid in the understanding of host–virus interactions, and the mechanism of resistance in P. trifoliata.