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Evidence for contemporary plant mitoviruses
Max L Nibert1, Minh Vong1, Karen K Fugate2
1Department of Microbiology & Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Virology
|February 14, 2018
Summary
Newly discovered plant mitoviruses infect land plants and are related to fungal mitoviruses. These viruses may be cryptic, and their role in plant health requires further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Plant Pathology
- Virology
Background:
- Mitoviruses are small RNA viruses that infect fungi and replicate within mitochondria.
- Previously, mitoviruses were not known to infect plants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize plant mitoviruses.
- To investigate the evolutionary origins of plant mitoviruses.
Main Methods:
- Bioinformatic analysis of publicly available transcriptome data.
- Sequence refinement and phylogenetic analysis.
Main Results:
- Nearly complete genomes of plant mitoviruses were identified from 10 land plant species.
- These plant mitoviruses form a monophyletic group within the genus Mitovirus.
- Evidence suggests plant mitoviruses are ancestral to endogenized mitovirus elements in plant genomes.
Conclusions:
- Mitoviruses infect land plants, expanding their known host range.
- Plant mitoviruses may have ancient origins and relationships with fungal counterparts.
- The impact of these viruses on plant health is currently unknown and warrants further study.
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