A sequencing-based phylogenetic analysis of various strains of watermelon silver mottle virus in northern China and their one-step detection using a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification

Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV), a potentially invasive virus, is known to reduce the yield and degrade the quality of infected crops in Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae families, resulting in significant economic losses in limited areas of several Asian countries. WSMoV previously detected on various crops in southern China has now become more prevail on watermelon and sweet pepper in northern cities of China for the first time. A sequencing-based phylogenetic analysis has confirmed that the viral strains infecting cucumber, watermelon and sweet pepper plants in Shandong Province are most closely related to those isolated from Guangdong, Guangxi and Taiwan, suggesting a farther and continuous spread of WSMoV throughout China. To develop a fast, accurate, and practical protocol for WSMoV detection, we designed a set of primers from the conserved sequence of WSMoV nucleocapsid protein (N) gene for a one-step assay based on the reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP). The RT-LAMP assay was performed successfully for 50 min at 61°C and exhibited a highly specific result without cross-reactions with other similar viruses and a sensitivity that is 100-fold higher than the traditional RT-PCR. The confirmation of 26 WSMoV suspect samples collected from various regions in Shandong through the RT-LAMP testing has demonstrated that the assay is suitable and practical for detection of WSMoV in both laboratory and field settings.