title: Searching for a new putative cryptic virus in Pinus sylvestris L.
abstract: Double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) were detected in different pine populations in Germany and Hungary. Two dsRNA species of 1.5 and 1.58 kbp, respectively, persisted in the same trees for at least 2 years and their presence was not associated with any symptoms. The dsRNAs were found to sediment in the VLP (virus-like particles) fraction and to be protected by protein(s) against RNase A digestion at low salt. cDNA cloning and sequencing of the smaller segment (dsRNA2) led to the identification of a putative RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (RdRp) containing the GDD, as well as three other, conserved motifs. Sequence comparison with different RNA viruses and phylogenetic analysis indicates that the putative RdRp from pine shows highest similarity to the homologous proteins of Beet cryptic virus 3 and of a cryptic virus of Pyrus pyrifolia. On the basis of these results we suggest that the 1.5 and 1.58 kbp dsRNAs in P. sylvestris may represent the genomic segments of a new plant cryptic virus, Cryptoviruses have not yet been reported to occur in Gymnosperms.
authors.affiliation: Biological Research Center, Institute of Plant Biology, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Dorina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Veliceasa
authors.forename: Natalya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Enünlü
authors.forename: Péter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Kós
authors.forename: Sigrid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Köster
authors.forename: Eckhardt
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beuther
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Morgun
authors.forename: Sachin D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Deshmukh
authors.forename: Noémi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lukács
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D041605:Pinus sylvestris / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D010942:Plant Viruses / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012328:RNA Viruses / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic