Characterization of bean necrotic mosaic virus: a member of a novel evolutionary lineage within the Genus Tospovirus

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 7; no. 6; p. e38634
• Main Authors: de Oliveira, Athos Silva, Melo, Fernando Lucas, Inoue-Nagata, Alice Kazuko, Nagata, Tatsuya, Kitajima, Elliot Watanabe, Resende, Renato Oliveira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 08-06-2012; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Agriculture; Agronomy; Amino acids; Analysis; Archives & records; Beans; Biodiversity; Bioinformatics; Biological evolution; Biology; Crops; Data analysis; Datura stramonium; Disease transmission; Economic impact; Evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Evolutionary genetics; Fabaceae - virology; Frankliniella; Gene sequencing; Genome, Viral; Genomes; Genomics; Glycine max; Host range; Impact analysis; Legumes; Leguminous plants; Molecular biology; Phaseolus vulgaris; Phylogenetics; Physalis pubescens; Plant Diseases - genetics; Plant Diseases - virology; Polyclonal antibodies; Proteins; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA sequencing; RNA, Viral - genetics; Software packages; Soybeans; Species; Species classification; Species diversity; Thrips; Tospovirus - genetics; Viral proteins; Viruses
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038634

Tospoviruses (Genus Tospovirus, Family Bunyaviridae) are phytopathogens responsible for significant worldwide crop losses. They have a tripartite negative and ambisense RNA genome segments, termed S (Small), M (Medium) and L (Large) RNA. The vector-transmission is mediated by thrips in a circulative-propagative manner. For new tospovirus species acceptance, several analyses are needed, e.g., the determination of the viral protein sequences for enlightenment of their evolutionary history.
Biological (host range and symptomatology), serological, and molecular (S and M RNA sequencing and evolutionary studies) experiments were performed to characterize and differentiate a new tospovirus species, Bean necrotic mosaic virus (BeNMV), which naturally infects common beans in Brazil. Based upon the results, BeNMV can be classified as a novel species and, together with Soybean vein necrosis-associated virus (SVNaV), they represent members of a new evolutionary lineage within the genus Tospovirus. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCES: Taken together, these evidences suggest that two divergent lineages of tospoviruses are circulating in the American continent and, based on the main clades diversity (American and Eurasian lineages), new tospovirus species related to the BeNMV-SVNaV clade remain to be discovered. This possible greater diversity of tospoviruses may be reflected in a higher number of crops as natural hosts, increasing the economic impact on agriculture. This idea also is supported since BeNMV and SVNaV were discovered naturally infecting atypical hosts (common bean and soybean, respectively), indicating, in this case, a preference for leguminous species. Further studies, for instance a survey focusing on crops, specifically of leguminous plants, may reveal a greater tospovirus diversity not only in the Americas (where both viruses were reported), but throughout the world.