Biological and molecular characterization of the Polish Zucchini yellow mosaic virus isolates.

The diversity of Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) isolates from cucumber and zucchini plants growing in different regions of Poland was analyzed using biological tests and molecular biology techniques. The isolates differed in their host range and symptoms induced by them on a series of plant species. In addition, the analysis of the genetic diversity of the coat protein (CP) gene revealed high level of nucleotide variability among the isolates. Comparison of the CP gene sequences of 70 isolates from different geographical regions worldwide showed that the Polish isolates belong to different groups and they do not form a monophyletic cluster with European isolates. Interestingly, among the central European ZYMV isolates lower variability has been observed previously. The ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous polymorphic sites showed a dominant negative selection however codons which might undergo positive selection were also identified. Moreover, the evidences for recombination in analyzed sequences of the CP gene of the analyzed ZYMV isolates were provided.