Molecular characterization of a novel victorivirus isolated from the phytopathogenic fungus Phaeobotryon rhois

Abstract

Abstract Phaeobotryon rhois is an important pathogenic fungus that causes dieback and canker disease of woody hosts. Here, a novel mycovirus, tentatively named Phaeobotryon rhois victorivirus 1 (PrVV1), was identified from P.rhois strain sx8-4. The PrVV1 has a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) genome of 5,224 nucleotides long and it contains two open reading frames (ORF1 and ORF2), which overlap at a AUGA sequence. ORF1 encodes a polypeptide of 786 amino acids (aa) with a conserved a coat protein (CP) domain, while ORF2, encodes a large polypeptide of 826 aa with a conserved RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain. Our analysis of the genomic structure, homology searches, and phylogeny indicated that PrVV1 is a novel member of the genus Victorivirus in the family Totiviridae. This is the first study to report the complete genome sequence of a victorivirus that infects P.rhois.