title: The dsRNA Virus Papaya Meleira Virus and an ssRNA Virus Are Associated with Papaya Sticky Disease.
abstract: Papaya sticky disease, or "meleira", is one of the major diseases of papaya in Brazil and Mexico, capable of causing complete crop loss. The causal agent of sticky disease was identified as an isometric virus with a double stranded RNA (dsRNA) genome, named papaya meleira virus (PMeV). In the present study, PMeV dsRNA and a second RNA band of approximately 4.5 kb, both isolated from latex of papaya plants with severe symptoms of sticky disease, were deep-sequenced. The nearly complete sequence obtained for PMeV dsRNA is 8,814 nucleotides long and contains two putative ORFs; the predicted ORF1 and ORF2 display similarity to capsid proteins and RdRp's, respectively, from mycoviruses tentatively classified in the family Totiviridae. The sequence obtained for the second RNA is 4,515 nucleotides long and contains two putative ORFs. The predicted ORFs 1 and 2 display 48% and 73% sequence identity, respectively, with the corresponding proteins of papaya virus Q, an umbravirus recently described infecting papaya in Ecuador. Viral purification in a sucrose gradient allowed separation of particles containing each RNA. Mass spectrometry analysis indicated that both PMeV and the second RNA virus (named papaya meleira virus 2, PMeV2) were encapsidated in particles formed by the protein encoded by PMeV ORF1. The presence of both PMeV and PMeV2 was confirmed in field plants showing typical symptoms of sticky disease. Interestingly, PMeV was detected alone in asymptomatic plants. Together, our results indicate that sticky disease is associated with double infection by PMeV and PMeV2.
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tathiana Ferreira
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Sá Antunes
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Raquel J Vionette
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.|Instituto Capixaba de Pesquisa, Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Aires
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ventura
authors.affiliation: Dep. de Fitopatologia/BIOAGRO, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcio Tadeu
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Godinho
authors.affiliation: Dep. de Fitopatologia/BIOAGRO, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Josiane G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.affiliation: Dep. de Microbiologia/BIOAGRO, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flávia O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Dep. de Microbiologia/BIOAGRO, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Poliane Alfenas
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Zerbini
authors.affiliation: Dep. de Fitopatologia/BIOAGRO, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Francisco Murilo
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Zerbini
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Patricia Machado Bueno
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2695-3638
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Fernandes
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029441:Carica / Q000821:virology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D016679:Genome, Viral; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D010942:Plant Viruses / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012328:RNA Viruses / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D019196:Totiviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014771:Virion / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded