Detection and partial characterization of grapevine leafroll-associated virus 1 in pomegranate trees in Turkey

Foliar virus-like symptoms consisting of yellowing, chlorotic spots, oak-leaf and vein clearing were observed on pomegranate cultivar Hicaz in Hatay province of Turkey in 2013. Three symptomatic out of 23 pomegranate samples reacted to Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 1 (GLRaV-1) antibodies in DAS-ELISA. In order to confirm the presence of GLRaV-1 in pomegranate, total RNA extracted from petiole samples was used in RT-PCR using specific primers designed on sequences of the heat-shock protein 70 homolog (HSP70h), coat protein (CP), coat protein duplicate 2 (CPd2) and open reading frame 9 (p24) genes of GLRaV-1. Amplicons were only obtained from symptomatic pomegranate samples for the CP, CPd2, and p24 genes but, unlike for GLRaV-1 isolates from grapevine, no amplicon was obtained for the HSP70h gene of GLRaV-1 isolates from pomegranate. The CP, CPd2 and p24 genes of GLRaV-1 from pomegranate (accession no. KP411914-KP411922) had 91-94 % nucleotide sequence identity with GLRaV-1 isolates from grapevine. Phylogenetic analyses reconstructed using the neighbor joining method showed a clustering of GLRaV-1 isolates from pomegranate and grapevine. These results suggest that pomegranate could be an alternate host for GLRaV-1.