Large deletions in the 5′-untranslated region of foot-and-mouth disease virus of serotype C

Nucleotide sequences of the 5′-untranslated region (5′-UTR), at the 3′-side of the poly C tract, have been compared for 21 isolates of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) of serotype C from Europe, South America and The Philippines. A deletion of 43 nucleotides is present in the European isolates as compared with most American isolates. A larger deletion of 86 nucleotides is present in some viruses from South America and The Philippines. These deletions include the loss of one or two pseudoknot structures predicted in this region of the 5′-UTR. In addition, multiple point mutations have allowed the derivation of a phylogenetic tree which defines a grouping of isolates very similar to that derived from the capsid gene sequences of the same viruses. The study provides evidence that deletion (or addition) events must be very frequent during evolution of FMDV type C, since viruses which are phylogenetically very closely related (they belong to the same tree branch) may differ in the presence or absence of these deletions. Implications for FMDV evolution are discussed.