First complete genome sequence resource of a Lettuce mosaic virus isolate from the United States of America

Lettuce mosaic virus is a devastating pathogen that impacts commercial lettuce production. The complete genome sequence of an LMV isolate from a romaine lettuce plant (LMV-R) collected in 1,994 in the Salinas Valley of California was determined by RNA-seq, Sanger sequencing followed by 5′ RACE. The genome of LMV-R consists of 10,080 nucleotides and shares the highest nucleotide identity with the LMV isolate CL208 from Chile (97.2%) (GenBank accession KJ161176.1). LMV-R genome encodes for a single large polypeptide (UED15646) with putative proteolytic cleavage sites and showed 98.9% aa identity to a Turkish isolate (UEP55410) and, 98.71% to Chilean isolate (AIB00275). The sequence and phylogenetic analysis highlight the close association between LMV-R from the USA and CL208 of Chile, indicating that LMV-R might have been exchanged between North America and South America through international trade.