20.500.12556/DiRROS-27955 Population structure and genetic variation of cucumber mosaic virus isolates in Serbia: evidence for high diversity and the occurrence of natural recombinant and reassortant isolates Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) causes significant economic losses and threatens the sustainable production of many important crops. This study represents the first analysis of CMV genetic diversity and population structure in Serbia, based on all five ORFs from nineteen isolates collected across various hosts and regions. Results of molecular and population genetic investigations revealed high genetic diversity and the presence of numerous genetic variants. Phylogenetic analyses showed that isolates from all three subgroups exist in Serbia, with IA being the most prevalent and IB occurring at the 1a gene only. Although findings indicate that majority of the observed variation arises from differences between subgroups, intra-subgroup fixed polymorphisms were also identified. Notably, both recombinants and reassortants were detected, indicating dynamic genetic exchange within the population. Recombination between subgroups IA and II was confirmed in both RNA 2 (II-IA,II-II,II and IB-IA,II-IA,IA) and RNA 3 segments (IA-IA,IA-IA,II), with recombination in the RNA 2 segment being predominant. Additionally, both types of reassortment, including IA/IB (IB-IA,IA-IA,IA) and IA/II (II-IA,IA-II,II) reassortants, were recorded. Moreover, we uncover a novel reassortant/recombinant variant (IB-IA,II-IA,IA) in the natural CMV population. Finally, results of a neutrality test across all five loci suggest demographic effects consistent with population size expansion following bottleneck events during host plant infection. This study provides the first molecular insight into CMV population structure in Serbia, offering new insights into the regional diversity and evolution of the virus. By identifying recombinant and reassortant CMV isolates circulating in Serbia, this work reveals previously unrecognized evolutionary processes shaping CMV populations in the region. These findings fill a significant geographic gap in CMV research in Western Balkans and contribute to a broader understanding of CMV evolution, diversification, and population dynamics globally. CMV genetic diversity molecular characterization population genetic parameters recombination and reassortment CMV genetska raznolikost molekularna karakterizacija populacijski genetski parametri rekombinacija in reasortacija true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Neznano 2026-03-02 12:46:40 2026-03-02 12:46:41 2026-03-03 14:48:12 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Soavtorji: Smilja Teodorović, Ana Vučurović, Branka Krstić, Dušica Kovačević, Ivana Stanković; Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Opis vira z dne 24. 2. 2026; str. 1-12 [article no.] 1741618 Vol. 17 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-02-19 578.85:632.38(497.11) 1664-462X 10.3389/fpls.2026.1741618 269427203 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1741618/full 1 7cff99fe-162d-11f1-8c73-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=41185 RAZ_Zecevic_Katarina_2026.pdf RAZ_Zecevic_Katarina_2026.pdf 1 907A2348EEEF3F84E12DC3BAD84DF411 0cf7eb0e682ab21bd89d5d5c1b379118b9d956c3f0911af0b5f1384dee9dcecb 5460f9a7-162e-11f1-8c73-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=41186 Nacionalni inštitut za biologijo 0 0 0