A victorivirus infecting Colletotrichum falcatum: genomic characterization and evolutionary analysis

Colletotrichum falcatum is a major fungal pathogen responsible for severe disease in sugarcane. Here, we report the complete genomic characterization of a novel mycovirus infecting C. falcatum, designated Colletotrichum falcatum victorivirus 1 (CfVV1). The CfVV1 genome is 4,906 base pairs (bp) long and comprises two open reading frames encoding a capsid protein (CP) and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), overlapping at an AUGA motif. The predicted proteins share ca. 70% and 68% identity with those of Colletotrichum cliviicola victorivirus 1 and Colletotrichum nativitas totivirus 1, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on concatenated RdRP and CP amino acid sequences places CfVV1 within the genus Victorivirus of the recently established family Pseudototiviridae. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of isometric virus-like particles ca. 40 nm in diameter, consistent with the typical morphology of victoriviruses. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a complete victorivirus genome infecting C. falcatum.