title: A novel virus from Macrosiphum euphorbiae with similarities to members of the family Flaviviridae.
abstract: A virus with a large genome was identified in the transcriptome of the potato aphid (Macrosiphum euphorbiae) and was named Macrosiphum euphorbiae virus 1 (MeV-1). The MeV-1 genome is 22 780 nt in size, including 3' and 5' non-coding regions, with a single large ORF encoding a putative polyprotein of 7333 aa. The C-terminal region of the predicted MeV-1 polyprotein contained sequences with similarities to helicase, methyltransferase and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) motifs, while the N-terminal region lacked any motifs including structural proteins. Phylogenetic analysis of the helicase placed MeV-1 close to pestiviruses, while the RdRp region placed it close to pestiviruses and flaviviruses, suggesting MeV-1 has a positive-polarity ssRNA genome and is a member of the family Flaviviridae. Since the MeV-1 genome is predicted to contain a methyltransferase, a gene present typically in flaviviruses but not pestiviruses, MeV-1 is likely a member of the genus Flavivirus. MeV-1 was present in nymphal and adult stages of the aphid, aphid saliva and plant tissues fed upon by aphids. However, the virus was unable to multiply and spread in tomato plants. In addition, dsRNA, the replication intermediate of RNA viruses, was isolated from virus-infected M. euphorbiae and not from tomato plants infested with the aphid. Furthermore, nymphs laid without exposure to infected plants harboured the virus, indicating that MeV-1 is an aphid-infecting virus likely transmitted transovarially. The virus was present in M. euphorbiae populations from Europe but not from North America and was absent in all other aphid species tested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nematology,University of California, Riverside, California,USA.
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology and Weed Research,Volcani Center, Bet Dagan,Israel.
authors.forename: Noa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sela
authors.affiliation: Plant Pathology and Microbiology,University of California, Riverside, California,USA.|Institute of Integrative Genome Biology,University of California, Riverside, California,USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology,University of California, Davis, California,USA.
authors.forename: Clare L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Casteel
authors.affiliation: Plant Pathology and Microbiology,University of California, Riverside, California,USA.
authors.forename: Hsuan-Chieh
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering,University of Illinois, Urbana, IL,USA.
authors.forename: Sadia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bekal
authors.affiliation: Institute of Integrative Genome Biology,University of California, Riverside, California,USA.|Department of Botany and Plant Sciences,University of California, Riverside, California,USA.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Girke
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology,Volcani Center, Bet Dagan,Israel.
authors.forename: Murad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghanim
authors.affiliation: Institute of Integrative Genome Biology,University of California, Riverside, California,USA.|Department of Nematology,University of California, Riverside, California,USA.
authors.forename: Isgouhi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kaloshian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000821:virology*; D007304:Insect Viruses / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007814:Larva; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral