title: Orchid fleck virus is a rhabdovirus with an unusual bipartite genome.
abstract: Orchid fleck virus (OFV) has an unusual bipartite negative-sense RNA genome with clear sequence similarities to those of nucleorhabdoviruses. The OFV genome consists of two single-stranded RNA molecules, RNA1 and RNA2 that are 6413 and 6001 nt long, respectively, with open reading frame (ORF) information in the complementary sense. RNA1 encodes 49 (ORF1), 26 (ORF2), 38 (ORF3), 20 (ORF4) and 61 kDa (ORF5) proteins, and RNA2 encodes a single protein of 212 kDa (ORF6). ORF1, ORF5 and ORF6 proteins had significant similarities (21-38 % identity) to the nucleocapsid protein (N), glycoprotein (G) and polymerase (L) gene products, respectively, of other rhabdoviruses, especially nucleorhabdoviruses, whereas ORF2, ORF3 and ORF4 proteins had no significant similarities to other proteins in the international databases. Similarities between OFV and rhabdoviruses were also found in the sequence complementarity at both termini of each RNA segment (the common terminal sequences are 3'-UGUGUC---GACACA-5'), the conserved intergenic sequences and in being negative sense. It was proposed that a new genus Dichorhabdovirus in the family Rhabdoviridae of the order Mononegavirales should be established with OFV as its prototype member and type species.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Bioresources, Okayama University, Kurashiki 710-0046, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Bioresources, Okayama University, Kurashiki 710-0046, Japan.
authors.forename: Takanori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.affiliation: Asian Center for Bioresources and Environmental Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032 Japan.
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shirako
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Bioresources, Okayama University, Kurashiki 710-0046, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamada
mesh_terms: D021901:DNA, Intergenic; D023061:Gene Order; D016679:Genome, Viral; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D012209:Rhabdoviridae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014771:Virion / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D021901:DNA, Intergenic; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins