Characterization of a Novel Mycovirus from the Phytopathogenic Fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea

"Stop, Little Pot" as the Motto of Suppressive Management of Various Microbial Consortia

The unresolved challenges in the development of highly efficient, stable and controlled synthetic microbial consortia, as well as the use of natural consortia, are very attractive for science and technology. However, the consortia management should be done with the knowledge of how not only to accelerate but also stop the action of such "little pots". Moreover, there are a lot of microbial consortia, the activity of which should be suppressively controlled. The processes, catalyzed by various microorganisms being in complex consortia which should be slowed down or completely cancelled, are typical for the environment (biocorrosion, landfill gas accumulation, biodegradation of building materials, water sources deterioration etc.), industry (food and biotechnological production), medical practice (vaginitis, cystitis, intestinal dysbiosis, etc.). The search for ways to suppress the functioning of heterogeneous consortia in each of these areas is relevant. The purpose of this review is to summarize the general trends in these studies regarding the targets and new means of influence used. The analysis of the features of the applied approaches to solving the main problem confirms the possibility of obtaining a combined effect, as well as selective influence on individual components of the consortia. Of particular interest is the role of viruses in suppressing the functioning of microbial consortia of different compositions.

Characterization of the RNA Mycovirome Associated with Grapevine Fungal Pathogens: Analysis of Mycovirus Distribution and Their Genetic Variability within a Collection of Botryosphaeriaceae Isolates

Botryosphaeriaceae are fungi involved in the decay of various woody species, including the grapevine, leading to significant production losses. This fungal family is largely ubiquitous, and seven species of Botryosphaeriaceae have been identified in French vineyards, with variable levels of aggressiveness, both in vitro and in planta. Mycoviruses can impact the life traits of their fungal hosts, including aggressiveness, and are one of the factors influencing fungal pathogenicity. In this study, the RNA mycovirome of fifteen Botryosphaeriaceae isolates was characterized through the high-throughput sequencing of double-stranded RNA preparations from the respective samples. Eight mycoviruses were detected, including three potential novel species in the Narnaviridae family, as well as in the proposed Mycobunyaviridae and Fusagraviridae families. A large collection of Botryosphaeriaceae isolates was screened using RT-PCR assays specific for 20 Botryosphaeriaceae-infecting mycoviruses. Among the mycoviruses detected, some appeared to be specialists within a single host species, while others infected isolates belonging to multiple Botryosphaeriaceae species. This screening allowed us to conclude that one-third of the Botryosphaeriaceae isolates were infected by at least one mycovirus, and a significant proportion of isolates (43.5%) were found to be coinfected by several viruses, with very complex RNA mycoviromes for some N. parvum isolates.

Complete genome sequence of a novel mitovirus isolated from the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ginseng causing ginseng root rot

A novel mitovirus, tentatively designated as "Fusarium oxysporum mitovirus 2" (FoMV2), was isolated from the pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ginseng strain 0414 infecting Panax ginseng. The complete genome of FoMV2 is 2388 nt in length with a GC content of 30.57%. It contains a large open reading frame (ORF) encoding a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of 713 amino acids with a molecular weight of 83.05 kDa. The sequence identity between FoMV2 and Botrytis cinerea mitovirus 8 and Fusarium verticillioides mitovirus 1 was 87.94% and 77.85%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that FoMV2 belongs to the genus Unuamitovirus in the family Mitoviridae. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an unuamitovirus isolated from F. oxysporum f. sp. ginseng causing ginseng root rot.

Greetings from virologists to mycologists: A review outlining viruses that live in fungi

Viruses are genetic elements that parasitize self-replicating cells. Therefore, organisms parasitized by viruses are not limited to animals and plants but also include microorganisms. Among these, viruses that parasitize fungi are known as mycoviruses. Mycoviruses with an RNA genome persistently replicate inside fungal cells and coevolve with their host cells, similar to a cellular organelle. Within host cells, mycoviruses can modulate various fungal characteristics and activities, including pathogenicity and the production of enzymes and secondary metabolites. In this review, we provide an overview of the mycovirus research field as introduction to fungal researchers. Recognition of all genetic elements in fungi aids towards better understanding and control of fungi, and makes fungi a significant model system for studying microorganisms containing multiple genetic elements.

Identification and Characterization of a Novel Hypovirus from the Phytopathogenic Fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea

Many mycoviruses have been accurately and successfully identified in plant pathogenic fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea. This study discovered three mycoviruses from a B. dothidea strain SXD111 using high-throughput sequencing technology. A novel hypovirus was tentatively named Botryosphaeria dothidea hypovirus 1 (BdHV1/SXD111). The other two were known viruses, which we named Botryosphaeria dothidea polymycovirus 1 strain SXD111 (BdPmV1/SXD111) and Botryosphaeria dothidea partitivirus 1 strain SXD111 (BdPV1/SXD111). The genome of BdHV1/SXD111 is 11,128 nucleotides long, excluding the poly (A) tail. A papain-like cysteine protease (Pro), a UDP-glucose/sterol glucosyltransferase (UGT), an RNA-dependent RNA polyprotein (RdRp), and a helicase (Hel) were detected in the polyprotein of BdHV1/SXD111. Phylogenetic analysis showed that BdHV1/SXD111 was clustered with betahypovirus and separated from members of the other genera in the family Hypoviridae. The BdPmV1/SXD111 genome comprised five dsRNA segments with 2396, 2232, 1967, 1131, and 1060 bp lengths. Additionally, BdPV1/SXD111 harbored three dsRNA segments with 1823, 1623, and 557 bp lengths. Furthermore, the smallest dsRNA was a novel satellite component of BdPV1/SXD111. BdHV1/SXD111 could be transmitted through conidia and hyphae contact, whereas it likely has no apparent impact on the morphologies and virulence of the host fungus. Thus, this study is the first report of a betahypovirus isolated from the fungus B. dothidea. Importantly, our results significantly enhance the diversity of the B. dothidea viruses.

New viruses of Cladosporium sp. expand considerably the taxonomic structure of Gammapartitivirus genus

Despite the fact that Cladosporium sp. are ubiquitous fungi, their viromes have been little studied. By analysing a collection of Cladosporium fungi, two new partitiviruses named Cladosporium cladosporioides partitivirus 1 (CcPV1) and Cladosporium cladosporioides partitivirus 2 (CcPV2) co-infecting a strain of Cladosporium cladosporioides were identified. Their complete genome consists of two monocistronic dsRNA segments (RNA1 and RNA2) with a high percentage of pairwise identity on 5' and 3' end. The RNA directed RNA polymerase (RdRp) of both viruses and the capsid protein (CP) of CcPV1 display the classic characteristics required for their assignment to the Gammapartitivirus genus. In contrast, CcPV2 RNA2 encodes for a 41 KDa CP that is unusually smaller when aligned to CPs of other viruses classified in this genus. The structural role of this protein is confirmed by electrophoresis on acrylamide gel of purified viral particles. Despite the low percentage of identity between the capsid proteins of CcPV1 and CcPV2, their three-dimensional structures predicted by AlphaFold2 show strong similarities and confirm functional proximity. Fifteen similar viral sequences of unknown function were annotated using the CcPV2 CP sequence. The phylogeny of the CP was highly consistent with the phylogeny of their corresponding RdRp, supporting the organization of Gammapartitiviruses into three distinct clades despite stretching the current demarcation criteria. It is proposed that a new subgenus be created within the genus Gammapartitivirus for this new group.

Fungal Viruses Unveiled: A Comprehensive Review of Mycoviruses

Mycoviruses (viruses of fungi) are ubiquitous throughout the fungal kingdom and are currently classified into 23 viral families and the genus botybirnavirus by the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). The primary focus of mycoviral research has been on mycoviruses that infect plant pathogenic fungi, due to the ability of some to reduce the virulence of their host and thus act as potential biocontrol against these fungi. However, mycoviruses lack extracellular transmission mechanisms and rely on intercellular transmission through the hyphal anastomosis, which impedes successful transmission between different fungal strains. This review provides a comprehensive overview of mycoviruses, including their origins, host range, taxonomic classification into families, effects on their fungal counterparts, and the techniques employed in their discovery. The application of mycoviruses as biocontrol agents of plant pathogenic fungi is also discussed.

Molecular characterization of a novel ourmia‑like virus from the phytopathogenic fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea

Here, we describe a novel ourmia-like virus, Botryosphaeria dothidea ourmia-like virus 2 (BdOLV2), derived from the phytopathogenic fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea strain ZM180192-1 infecting maize in Henan province of China. The complete genome sequence of BdOLV2 consists of a positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ ssRNA) segment with a length of 2,532 nucleotides (nt). The sequence contains a large open reading frame (ORF) encoding a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) consisting of 605 amino acids (aa) with a molecular mass of 68.59 kDa. This RdRp protein contains eight typical conserved motifs associated with ourmia-like viruses. BLASTp analysis revealed that the RdRp protein of BdOLV2 had the highest similarity (62.10%, 58.15%, and 55.75% identity, respectively) to a virus previously identified as "Botourmiaviridae sp.", Macrophomina phaseolina ourmia-like virus 2, and Macrophomina phaseolina ourmia-like virus 2-A. Phylogenetic analysis based on the RdRp aa sequence indicated that BdOLV2 is a new member of the genus Magoulivirus in the family Botourmiaviridae.

Molecular characterization of a novel partitivirus isolated from Rhizoctonia solani

Rhizoctonia solani is a widely distributed plant pathogen that can damage many crops. Here, we identified a novel mycovirus tentatively named Rhizoctonia solani partitivirus 433 (RsPV433) from an R. solani (AG-3) strain which caused tobacco target spot disease on flue-cured tobacco. RsPV433 was consisted of two dsRNA segments with lengths of 2450 and 2273 bp, which encoded an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and a coat protein, respectively. BLASTP results of RsPV433 showed that the closest relative of RsPV433 was Sarcosphaera coronaria partitivirus (QLC36830.1), with an identity of 60.85% on the RdRp amino sequence. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that RsPV433 belonged to the Betapartitivirus genus in the Partitiviridae family. The virus transmission experiment revealed that RsPV433 can be transmitted horizontally. We further tested the biological effect of RsPV433 on R. solani strains and found that the RsPV433-infected R. solani strain grew slower than the RsPV433-free strain on the PDA medium and RsPV433 seemed to have no obvious impact on the lesion inducing ability of R. solani.

Molecular characterization of a new fusarivirus infecting Botryosphaeria dothidea, the causal agent of pear ring rot disease

Here, a novel mycovirus, tentatively designated as "Botryosphaeria dothidea fusarivirus 2" (BdFV2), was discovered in Botryosphaeria dothidea strain JZ-3. The complete genome sequence is 6,271 nucleotides (nt) in length, excluding the poly(A) tail, and contains two putative open reading frames (ORFs). The larger ORF1 encodes a polypeptide of 1,552 amino acids (aa) with conserved RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domains and a viral helicase domain. The ORF1-encoded polypeptide shares 19.47-78.70% sequence identity with those of other fusariviruses and shares the highest sequence identity (78.70%) with the corresponding protein aa sequences of Neofusicoccum luteum fusarivirus 1 (NlFV1) isolate CBS110299. The small ORF2 encodes a hypothetical protein with 479 aa, which is predicted to contain a chromosome segregation protein SMC domain of unknown function. Sequence alignments and phylogenetic analysis indicated that BdFV2 is a distinct member of the recently established family Fusariviridae. BdFV2 appears to be a novel fusarivirus infecting a pathogenic B. dothidea strain that causes pear ring rot disease.