Research Objectives

        Map genetic determinants of differential host range among strains of WSMV.

        Map determinants of mite transmission encoded by the WSMV HC-Pro gene.

        Determine the function of a conserved sequence element in the WSMV P3 gene.

     Define patterns of nucleotide sequence diversity within a collection of WSMV isolates and determine evolutionary forces affecting diversity in WSMV.

    Determine the frequency of intermolecular homologous recombination among closely related genotypes of WSMV in the absence of strong selection.