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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Salinas, California » Crop Improvement and Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #314108
Title: Torradoviruses

Author
item VAN DER VLUGT, RENE - Wageningen University
item VERBEEK, MARTIN - Wageningen University
item DULLEMANS, ANNETTE - Wageningen University
item Wintermantel, William - Bill
item CUELLAR, WILMER - International Center For Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
item FOX, ADRIAN - The Food And Environment Research Agency
item THOMPSON, JEREMY - Cornell University

Submitted to: Annual Review of Phytopathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/29/2015
Publication Date: 6/5/2015
Citation: Van Der Vlugt, R.A., Verbeek, M., Dullemans, A.M., Wintermantel, W.M., Cuellar, W.J., Fox, A., Thompson, J.R. 2015. Torradoviruses. Annual Review of Phytopathology. doi: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-080614-120021.

Interpretive Summary: Torradoviruses are a clear example of a group of new and only recently emerged plant viruses. The first description in 2007 of Tomato torrado virus (ToTV), the type member of the newly established genus Torradovirus, was quickly followed by the findings of other torradoviruses, all on tomato. Only very recently torradoviruses were described from non-tomato crops, which indicates a much wider host range and diversity of torradoviruses than previously believed. Torradoviruses can be transmitted by a wide range of known whitefly vectors including Bemisia tabaci, Trialeurodes abutilonea, and T. vaporariorum, and studies with ToTV suggest transmission occurs in a semi-persistent manner. Torradovirus genomes consist of two RNA particles, with gene expression predominantly through translation of large polyproteins followed by proteolytic cleavage into functional proteins. This review describes the characteristics of this newly emerged group of plant viruses. It looks in more details at the taxonomic relationships between the different viruses and discusses their epidemiology including their transmission by whitefly vectors.

Technical Abstract: Torradoviruses are a clear example of a group of new and only recently emerged plant viruses. The first description in 2007 of Tomato torrado virus (ToTV), the type member of the newly established genus Torradovirus, was quickly followed by the findings of other torradoviruses, all on tomato. Only very recently torradoviruses were described from non-tomato crops, which indicates a much wider host range and diversity of torradoviruses than previously believed. Torradoviruses can be transmitted by a wide range of known whitefly vectors including Bemisia tabaci, Trialeurodes abutilonea, and T. vaporariorum, and studies with ToTV suggest transmission occurs in a semi-persistent manner. Torradovirus genomes consist of two RNA particles, with gene expression predominantly through translation of large polyproteins followed by proteolytic cleavage into functional proteins. This review describes the characteristics of this newly emerged group of plant viruses. It looks in more detail at the taxonomic relationships between the different viruses and discusses their epidemiology including their transmission by whitefly vectors.