Complete genome sequence of a new achyranthes virus A isolate from Achyranthes bidentata in China.

We have determined the complete genomic sequence of a potyvirus from Achyranthes bidentata in Zhejiang, China, using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) PCR. The genomic RNA is 9482 nucleotides (nt) long excluding the 3'-terminal poly(A) tail and encodes a putative large polyprotein with 3073 amino acids (aa). It has 75.4-53.5% nt sequence identity and 84.0-49.1% polyprotein sequence identity to other potyviruses and is probably a distantly related isolate of the same species as the recently reported achyranthes virus A isolate from South Korea (AcVA-SK). This is the first report of the occurrence of a potyvirus infecting A. bidentata in China.