Expanding the repertoire of the plant-infecting ophioviruses through metatranscriptomics data

Ophioviruses (genus Ophiovirus, family Aspiviridae) are plant-infecting viruses with nonenveloped, filamentous, naked nucleocapsid virions. Members of the genus Ophiovirus have a segmented single-stranded negative-sense RNA genome (ca. 11.3–12.5 kb), encompassing three or four linear segments. In to...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Debat, Humberto, García, María Laura, Bejerman, Nicolás
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:Argentina
Institución:Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Repositorio:SEDICI (UNLP)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:sedici.unlp.edu.ar:10915/153023
Acceso en línea:http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/153023
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Biología
Plant viruses
Ophiovirus
Virus taxonomy
Metatranscriptomics
Virus discovery
Descripción
Sumario:Ophioviruses (genus Ophiovirus, family Aspiviridae) are plant-infecting viruses with nonenveloped, filamentous, naked nucleocapsid virions. Members of the genus Ophiovirus have a segmented single-stranded negative-sense RNA genome (ca. 11.3–12.5 kb), encompassing three or four linear segments. In total, these segments encode four to seven proteins in the sense and antisense orientation, both in the viral and complementary strands. The genus Ophiovirus includes seven species with viruses infecting both monocots and dicots, mostly trees, shrubs and some ornamentals. From a genomic perspective, as of today, there are complete genomes available for only four species. Here, by exploring large publicly available metatranscriptomics datasets, we report the identification and molecular characterization of 33 novel viruses with genetic and evolutionary cues of ophioviruses. Genetic distance and evolutionary insights suggest that all the detected viruses could correspond to members of novel species, which expand the current diversity of ophioviruses ca. 4.5-fold. The detected viruses increase the tentative host range of ophioviruses for the first time to mosses, liverwort and ferns. In addition, the viruses were linked to several Asteraceae, Orchidaceae and Poaceae crops/ornamental plants. Phylogenetic analyses showed a novel clade of mosses, liverworts and fern ophioviruses, characterized by long branches, suggesting that there is still plenty of unsampled hidden diversity within the genus. This study represents a significant expansion of the genomics of ophioviruses, opening the door to future works on the molecular and evolutionary peculiarity of this virus genus.