Abstract
A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was developed for the detection of little cherry virus (LChV), a closterovirus responsible for heavy yield losses in sweet cherry. Total RNA was extracted from the leaves of sweet cherry trees affected with 21 virus isolates from different locations in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and Switzerland, and used as template for RT-PCR. In all the samples tested, 274-277-nt products were amplified with a pair of oligonucleotide primers specific for the 3′-terminal 276-nt genomic region of the German LChV UW1 isolate of which the complete genome sequence has been published. The PCR products derived from 9 isolates were cloned and sequenced. The sequence comparisons revealed high homology between these isolates and UW1 (86.9% to 96.7% nt sequence identity), thus indicating that the RT-PCR assay may be applicable for the detection of a wide spectrum of natural LChV isolates.
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Vitushkina, M., Fechtner, B., Agranovsky, A. et al. Development of an RT-PCR for the detection of little cherry virus and characterization of some isolates occurring in Europe. European Journal of Plant Pathology 103, 803–808 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008679224682
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008679224682