Sequencing of coat protein gene of an isolate of Cucumber mosaic virus infecting black pepper (Piper nigrum L) in India

The coat protein gene of an isolate of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) associated with stunted disease affecting black pepper plant was cloned and sequenced. The coat protein gene comprised of 657 nucleotides encoding a protein of 218 amino acids. Sequence analysis showed that the gene was most closely related to CMV infecting Egyptian henbane plant in India, the member of subgroup I of CMV. The amino acid sequence identity with members of subgroup I was 92–99% while that with members of subgroup II was 77–79%. On the basis of sequence homology, it is concluded that CMV infecting black pepper in India is a strain of CMV belonging to subgroup I.