Population structure of Citrus tristeza virus from field Argentinean isolates

Next-Generation Sequencing Combined With Conventional Sanger Sequencing Reveals High Molecular Diversity in Actinidia Virus 1 Populations From Kiwifruit Grown in China

Kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) is native to China. Viral disease–like symptoms are common on kiwifruit plants. In this study, six libraries prepared from total RNA of leaf samples from 69 kiwifruit plants were subjected to next-generation sequencing (NGS). Actinidia virus 1 (AcV-1), a tentative species in the family Closteroviridae, was discovered in the six libraries. Two full-length and two near-full genome sequences of AcV-1 variants were determined by Sanger sequencing. The genome structure of these Chinese AcV-1 variants was identical to that of isolate K75 and consisted of 12 open reading frames (ORFs). Analyses of these sequences together with the NGS-derived contig sequences revealed high molecular diversity in AcV-1 populations, with the highest sequence variation occurring at ORF1a, ORF2, and ORF3, and the available variants clustered into three phylogenetic clades. For the first time, our study revealed different domain compositions in the viral ORF1a and molecular recombination events among AcV-1 variants. Specific reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction assays disclosed the presence of AcV-1 in plants of four kiwifruit species and unknown Actinidia spp. in seven provinces and one city.

Assessment of Genetic Variability of Citrus tristeza virus by SSCP and CE-SSCP

Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) is a popular method used to study the genetic heterogeneity and population variability of Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) isolates. It is a simple, low-cost, and highly specific method for mutation detection of specific genes, mostly of the CTV major coat protein gene (p25). The technique is based on a comparison on polyacrylamide gel of electrophoretic profiles of single-stranded (ss) DNA sequences in terms of their spatial conformation. SSCP involves cDNA synthesis and amplification of the target gene, denaturation of single strands, and electrophoresis in non-denaturing conditions. The ssDNAs can be afterward visualized by staining the polyacrylamide gel. Alternatively, using fluorescently labeled primers, the procedure can be performed in automated sequencers equipped with an appropriate capillary (CE-SSCP), which increases the potential of high-throughput analysis, precision, and the reproducibility of results. CE-SSCP can be also directly applied to the virus particles obtained by elution from ELISA plates or tissue-print membranes.

Analysis of Genotype Composition of Citrus tristeza virus Populations Using Illumina Miseq Technology

Recent research describing the strain-specific mechanisms underlying experimental CTV superinfection exclusion has far-reaching implications for the manner in which cross-protecting sources should be selected for. The strain composition of both cross-protecting sources and field populations needs to be sufficiently characterized to improve control of severe stem-pitting and decline isolates. Many of the biological, serological, and molecular techniques used in previous studies yield very limited information about the strain composition of populations and the relative titer of their components. In this chapter we describe a protocol for the characterization of CTV populations, based on the use of the next-generation sequencing Illumina MiSeq platform of p33 gene amplicons.

PCR bias associated with conserved primer binding sites, used to determine genotype diversity within Citrus tristeza virus populations

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) is present in almost all of the major citrus production areas where it continues to reduce the profitability of citriculture. The accurate characterisation of CTV populations, which are usually made up of a number of disparate strains, requires the use of robust PCR protocols. Mismatches between primers and their corresponding binding sites may introduce primer-associated bias during amplification. The primer-associated bias of four sets of CTV specific primers, targeting the A and F regions and the p33 and p23 genes, were evaluated. This was done through the amplification of defined templates followed by their characterisation using the sequencing of multiple clones, as well as Illumina next generation sequencing. High levels of bias were found to be associated with the primer pairs targeting the A and F regions. The p33 gene primers were found to be biased against two genotypes and suggestions for preventing this apparent bias are discussed. The primer pair targeting the conserved p23 gene was found to have very little associated bias. Primers should undergo rigorous screening before being used to characterize virus populations that are known to exhibit high levels of variation, especially within primer binding sites.

Application of a simple and affordable protocol for isolating plant total nucleic acids for RNA and DNA virus detection

Standard molecular methods for plant virus diagnosis require the purification of RNA or DNA extracts from a large number of samples, with sufficient concentration and quality for their use in PCR, RT-PCR, or qPCR analysis. Most methods are laborious and use either hazardous and/or costly chemicals. A previously published protocol for RNA isolation from several plant species yields high amounts of good quality RNA-DNA mixture in a simple, safe and inexpensive manner. In the present work, this method was tested to obtain RNA-DNA extracts from leaves of tomato, potato and three species of citrus, and was compared with two commercial kits. The results demonstrated that this protocol offers at least comparable nucleic acid quality, quantity and purity to those provided by commercial phenol-based or spin column systems and that are suitable to be used in PCR, RT-PCR and qPCR for virus and viroid detection. Because of its easy implementation and the use of safe and inexpensive reagents, it can be easily implemented to work in plant virus and viroid detection in different plant species.

Phylogenetic Studies of the Three RNA Silencing Suppressor Genes of South American CTV Isolates Reveal the Circulation of a Novel Genetic Lineage

Citrus Tristeza Virus (CTV) is the most economically important virus of citrus worldwide. Genetic diversity and population structure of CTV isolates from all citrus growing areas from Uruguay were analyzed by RT-PCR and cloning of the three RNA silencing suppressor genes (p25, p20 and p23). Bayesian phylogenetic analysis revealed the circulation of three known genotypes (VT, T3, T36) in the country, and the presence of a new genetic lineage composed by isolates from around the world, mainly from South America. Nucleotide and amino acid identity values for this new genetic lineage were both higher than 97% for the three analyzed regions. Due to incongruent phylogenetic relationships, recombination analysis was performed using Genetic Algorithms for Recombination Detection (GARD) and SimPlot software. Recombination events between previously described CTV isolates were detected. High intra-sample variation was found, confirming the co-existence of different genotypes into the same plant. This is the first report describing: (1) the genetic diversity of Uruguayan CTV isolates circulating in the country and (2) the circulation of a novel CTV genetic lineage, highly present in the South American region. This information may provide assistance to develop an effective cross-protection program.

Genetic variability and evolutionary dynamics of viruses of the family Closteroviridae

RNA viruses have a great potential for genetic variation, rapid evolution and adaptation. Characterization of the genetic variation of viral populations provides relevant information on the processes involved in virus evolution and epidemiology and it is crucial for designing reliable diagnostic tools and developing efficient and durable disease control strategies. Here we performed an updated analysis of sequences available in Genbank and reviewed present knowledge on the genetic variability and evolutionary processes of viruses of the family Closteroviridae. Several factors have shaped the genetic structure and diversity of closteroviruses. (I) A strong negative selection seems to be responsible for the high genetic stability in space and time for some viruses. (2) Long distance migration, probably by human transport of infected propagative plant material, have caused that genetically similar virus isolates are found in distant geographical regions. (3) Recombination between divergent sequence variants have generated new genotypes and plays an important role for the evolution of some viruses of the family Closteroviridae. (4) Interaction between virus strains or between different viruses in mixed infections may alter accumulation of certain strains. (5) Host change or virus transmission by insect vectors induced changes in the viral population structure due to positive selection of sequence variants with higher fitness for host-virus or vector-virus interaction (adaptation) or by genetic drift due to random selection of sequence variants during the population bottleneck associated to the transmission process.

Distribution, genetic diversity and recombination analysis of Citrus tristeza virus of India

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) isolates representing all the citrus-growing geographical zones of India were analyzed for nucleotide sequence of the 5'ORF1a fragments of the partial LProI domain and for the coat protein (CP) gene. The nucleotide sequences were compared with previously reported Indian and CTV genotypes from GenBank. The Indian isolates had 80-99 % sequence identity for the 5'ORF1a and 89-99 % identity for the CP genes. In phylogenetic tree analysis, all the Indian and previously reported isolates segregated into eight clades or groups for the 5'ORF1a region. Indian CTV isolates were clustered in all the clades, four of which, D13, K5, BAN-1, and B165, consisted of only Indian isolates. Phylogenetic tree analysis of the CP genes resulted in seven clades. Indian CTV isolates clustered in six of them, and clades I and VI consisted of only Indian isolates. In the phylogenetic tree the Indian CTV isolates clustered in different groups regardless their geographical origin. Diversities in CTV isolates within individual citrus farms were highlighted. Because incongruent phylogenetic relationships were observed for both of the genomic regions, 5'ORF1a and CP gene, recombination analysis was performed using program RDP3. This analysis detected potential recombination events among the CTV isolates which involved exchange of sequences between divergent CTV variants. The SplitsTree analysis showed evidence of phylogenetic conflicts in evolutionary relationships among CTV isolates.

Evaluation of the genetic diversity of Plum pox virus in a single plum tree

Genetic diversity of Plum pox virus (PPV) and its distribution within a single perennial woody host (plum, Prunus domestica) has been evaluated. A plum tree was triply infected by chip-budding with PPV-M, PPV-D and PPV-Rec isolates in 2003 and left to develop untreated under open field conditions. In September 2010 leaf and fruit samples were collected from different parts of the tree canopy. A 745-bp NIb-CP fragment of PPV genome, containing the hypervariable region encoding the CP N-terminal end was amplified by RT-PCR from each sample and directly sequenced to determine the dominant sequence. In parallel, the PCR products were cloned and a total of 105 individual clones were sequenced. Sequence analysis revealed that after 7 years of infection, only PPV-M was still detectable in the tree and that the two other isolates (PPV-Rec and PPV-D) had been displaced. Despite the fact that the analysis targeted a relatively short portion of the genome, a substantial amount of intra-isolate variability was observed for PPV-M. A total of 51 different haplotypes could be identified from the 105 individual sequences, two of which were largely dominant. However, no clear-cut structuration of the viral population by the tree architecture could be highlighted although the results obtained suggest the possibility of intra-leaf/fruit differentiation of the viral population. Comparison of the consensus sequence with the original source isolate showed no difference, suggesting within-plant stability of this original isolate under open field conditions.

CPm gene diversity in field isolates of Citrus tristeza virus from Colombia

The nucleotide sequence diversity of the CPm gene from 28 field isolates of Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) was assessed by SSCP and sequence analyses. These isolates showed two major shared haplotypes, which differed in distribution: A1 was the major haplotype in 23 isolates from different geographic regions, whereas R1 was found in isolates from a discrete region. Phylogenetic reconstruction clustered A1 within an independent group, while R1 was grouped with mild isolates T30 from Florida and T385 from Spain. Some isolates contained several minor haplotypes, which were very similar to, and associated with, the major haplotype.

Contribution of recombination and selection to molecular evolution of Citrus tristeza virus

The genetic variation of Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) was analysed by comparing the predominant sequence variants in seven genomic regions (p33, p65, p61, p18, p13, p20 and p23) of 18 pathogenically distinct isolates from seven different countries. Analyses of the selective constraints acting on each codon suggest that most regions were under purifying selection. Phylogenetic analysis shows diverse patterns of molecular evolution for different genomic regions. A first clade composed of isolates that are genetically close to the reference mild isolates T385 or T30 was inferred from all genomic regions. A second clade, mostly comprising virulent isolates, was defined from regions p33, p65, p13 and p23. For regions p65, p61, p18, p13 and p23, a third clade that mostly included South American isolates could not be related to any reference genotype. Phylogenetic relationships among isolates did not reflect their geographical origin, suggesting significant gene flow between geographically distant areas. Incongruent phylogenetic trees for different genomic regions suggested recombination events, an extreme that was supported by several recombination-detecting methods. A phylogenetic network incorporating the effect of recombination showed an explosive radiation pattern for the evolution of some isolates and also grouped isolates by virulence. Taken together, the above results suggest that negative selection, gene flow, sequence recombination and virulence may be important factors driving CTV evolution.