The DNA complementary to the 3'-terminal 1 404 nucleotides [excluding the poly(A) tail] of papaya leaf-distortion mosaic potyvirus (PLDMV) RNA was cloned and sequenced. The sequence starts within a long open reading frame (ORF) of 1 195 nucleotides and is followed by a 3' non-coding region of 209 nucleotides. Capsid protein (CP) is encoded at the 3' terminus of the ORF. The CP contains 293 residues and has a Mr of 33 277. The CP of PLDMV exhibits 49 to 59% sequence similarity at the amino acid level to the CPs of papaya ringspot potyvirus (PRSV) and other potyviruses. This result is consistent with the absence of a serological relationship between PLDMV and PRSV or other potyviruses. The results support the assignment of PLDMV as a distinct member of the genus Potyvirus.