Molecular characterization of Japanese isolates of soil-borne wheat mosaic virus in the genus Furovirus

Soil-borne wheat mosaic virus (SBWMV) in the genus Furovirus is divided into Nebraska-like (NE) group and New York-like (NY) group on genomic sequences. Isolates Hk-Is and Hk-Tk showed more than 97% nucleotide identities to group NE and ca. 90% to group NY both in RNA1 and RNA2, and phylogenetic analyses revealed their affiliation to group NE. Another isolate Kgw, however, was closely and distantly related to the American groups in RNA1 and RNA2, respectively (95% and 88% nucleotide sequence identity to group NE). Consequently, it is concluded that the isolate Kgw is distantly related to the American group.