Molecular characterization and geographical distribution of Chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus in Iran

Chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus</em> (CpCDV, genus Mastrevirus</em>, family Geminiviridae</em>) is one of the most important viral agents which associated with yellowing symptom in the chickpea fields. During the surveys, 2015-2016, 248 chickpea and lentil plant samples showing yellowing symptom were collected from five provinces: Lorestan, Kermanshah, Zanjan, East and West Azarbaijan, in Iran. The samples were tested to CpCDV infection, using TBIA and positive samples in TBIA were tested by PCR. Total DNA of positive samples were extracted and enriched using rolling-circle amplification (RCA). RCA products were restricted using Xho</em> I enzyme and yielding products of ~2.5-6 kb. These fragments were used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using specific primers for RepA protein of CpCDV. PCR amplicons with an expected size of ~960 bp were amplified, cloned and sequenced.TBIA and PCR results showed the presence of CpCDV infection in all surveyed provinces with the highest infection in chickpea plants. Nucleotide sequence comparisons showed that Iranian isolates shared the highest identity to strain A, D and F from India, Pakistan, and Yemen. Phylogenetic anlyses showed that Iranian CpCDV strains were grouped with Sudan, Morrocco, India, and Pakistan (strain D, group III), Sudan, Oman, Yemen, and Pakistan (starin F, GroupIV), and Tunesia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey (strain A, group V).