Amino Acid Sequence Homology of Coat Proteins as a Basis for Identification and Classification of the Potyvirus Group

Analysis of the 136 possible pairings of the coat protein amino acid sequences from 17 strains of eight distinct potyviruses revealed a bimodal distribution of sequence homology, casting doubt on the currently held ‘continuum’ hypothesis proposed to explain the unsatisfactory taxonomy of the potyvirus group.