Two +ssRNA mycoviruses cohabiting the fungal cultivar of leafcutter ants

Leafcutter ants are dominant herbivores in the Neotropics and rely on a fungus (Leucoagaricus gongylophorus) to transform freshly gathered leaves into a source of nourishment rather than consuming the vegetation directly. Here we report two virus-like particles that were isolated from L. gongylophor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Virology journal Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 211 - 8
Main Authors:	Rødsgaard-Jørgensen, Asta, Leal-Dutra, Caio Ambrosio, de Santana, Sabrina Ferreira, Jensen, Asger Roland, Marques, Rafael Elias, Aguiar, Eric Roberto Guimarães Rocha, Shik, Jonathan Zvi
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England BioMed Central Ltd 04-09-2024 BioMed Central BMC
Subjects:	Agaricales - genetics Agaricales - virology Animals Ants - microbiology Ants - virology Botourmiaviridae Brief Report Fungal Viruses - classification Fungal Viruses - genetics Fungal Viruses - isolation & purification Fungal Viruses - physiology Fungi Fungus-farming ant Genome, Viral Identification and classification Leafcutter ant Leucoagaricus gongylophorus Magoulivirus Microscopy, Electron, Transmission Open Reading Frames Ourmia-like virus Phylogeny Physiological aspects RNA viruses RNA Viruses - classification RNA Viruses - genetics RNA Viruses - isolation & purification RNA Viruses - physiology RNA, Viral - genetics RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase - genetics Symbiosis Virus research Denmark Symbiosis Magoulivirus Tymovirus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus Leafcutter ant Fungus-farming ant Tymovirales Tymo-like virus Botourmiaviridae Ourmia-like virus
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Summary:	Leafcutter ants are dominant herbivores in the Neotropics and rely on a fungus (Leucoagaricus gongylophorus) to transform freshly gathered leaves into a source of nourishment rather than consuming the vegetation directly. Here we report two virus-like particles that were isolated from L. gongylophorus and observed using transmission electron microscopy. RNA sequencing identified two +ssRNA mycovirus strains, Leucoagaricus gongylophorus tymo-like virus 1 (LgTlV1) and Leucoagaricus gongylophorus magoulivirus 1 (LgMV1). Genome annotation of LgTlV1 (7401 nt) showed conserved domains for methyltransferase, endopeptidase, viral RNA helicase, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). The smaller genome of LgMV1 (2636 nt) contains one open reading frame encoding an RdRp. While we hypothesize these mycoviruses function as symbionts in leafcutter farming systems, further study will be needed to test whether they are mutualists, commensals, or parasites.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1743-422X 1743-422X
DOI:	10.1186/s12985-024-02465-0