Identification of a novel alphaendornavirus from  Lonicera maackii

AbstractA new alphaendornavirus, tentatively named “Lonicera maackii alphaendornavirus” (LmEV), was identified in aLonicera maackii plant in Beijing, China, with leaf abnormality of interveinal chlorosis, and its complete genome sequence was determined using small-RNA deep sequencing. The RNA genome of LmEV is 16,176 nt in length and contains a large open reading frame encoding a polyprotein of 5363 aa with conserved domains including a cysteine-rich region, a viral helicase, and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Sequence comparisons showed that LmEV shared the highest nt and aa sequence identity with Vicia faba alphaendornavirus (VfEV) of the genusAlphaendornavirus. In phylogenetic analysis of the RdRp aa sequence LmEV clustered with members of the genusAlphaendornavirus, closest to VfEV. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a novel alphaendornavirus identified inLonicera maackii. Its effect on the host plant, if any, remains to be investigated.
Source: Archives of Virology - Category: Virology Source Type: research