New insights into tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV) infections in Türkiye: Molecular detection, phylogenetic analysis, and in silico docking study

Abstract

Seventy-eight tomato and pepper plants showing symptoms were tested for tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV) using specific primers targeting the full coat protein gene (CP) through RT-PCR. Plant samples were collected in Denizli region, Türkiye during September 2021. The PCR screening results revealed that 23 samples were infected with TSWV, indicating an infection rate of 29.48%. PCR products were subsequently sequenced bidirectionally, and the obtained sequences were deposited in GenBank under the accession numbers ON323583-84 for pepper, and OQ597214 for tomato. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated a close relationship between the Turkish-Denizli TSWV isolates and previously reported isolates from tomato and pepper plants in Türkiye (KM407603), Hungary (KJ649612), and Serbia (GU369723). Moreover, in this study, three commercial chemicals and five selected phytochemicals were docked against the TSWV CP to assess their binding energies. The docking results indicate that the tested phytochemicals exhibit promising performance compared to other commercial chemicals. This study represents the first molecular and phylogenetic report on TSWV isolates in pepper and tomato plants in Denizli province, Türkiye. Furthermore, the interaction between TSWV and the selected compounds through in silico docking has been reported for the first time.