Complete nucleotide sequences of two soybean mosaic virus strains differentiated by response of soybean containing the Rsv resistance gene.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the genomic RNAs of strains G2 and G7 of soybean mosaic virus were determined. In both cases, the genome is 9588 nucleotides long, excluding the 3'-terminal poly(A) sequence. A large open reading frame (nucleotides 132 to 9329) encodes a polyprotein of 3066 amino acids with a predicted M(r) of either 349542 (strain G2) or 349741 (strain G7). Based on comparison with the proposed locations of cleavage sites of other potyvirus polyproteins, nine mature proteins are predicted. The mature proteins of the two strains share 94 to 100% amino acid identity, with the greatest variability occurring in the 35K and 42K proteins. Differences in local net charge in portions of these proteins as well as differences in amino acid sequence throughout the genome are discussed in relation to resistance and susceptibility of host plants to strains G2 and G7. Comparison with other potyviruses may be useful for taxonomic clarification of viruses and strains.