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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Urbana, Illinois » Soybean/maize Germplasm, Pathology, and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #301816
Title: Detection and characterization of the first North American mastrevirus in Switchgrass

Author
item AGINDOTAN, BRIGHT - University Of Illinois
item Domier, Leslie
item BRADLEY, CARL - University Of Illinois

Submitted to: Archives of Virology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/6/2015
Publication Date: 2/28/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/61152
Citation: Agindotan, B.O., Domier, L.L., Bradley, C.A. 2015. Detection and characterization of the first North American mastrevirus in Switchgrass. Archives of Virology. 160(5):1313-1317. DOI 10.1007/s00705-015-2367-5.

Interpretive Summary: Virus infections have the potential to reduce yields in bioenergy crops, including switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). As a first step towards managing virus-induced biomass reductions, deep sequencing was used to investigate the potential viral etiology of mosaic symptoms in switch grass, and identified a novel virus similar to mastreviruses, which is a group of plant viruses with small DNA genomes that are transmitted by leafhoppers. The virus was detected in multiple switchgrass varieties. Based on criteria set by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses and phylogenetic analyses, the novel virus qualified as a new virus species, which was named Switchgrass DNA virus-1 (SDaV-1). This is the first report of a mastrevirus infecting any plant species in North America. The information presented in this manuscript will be of interest to scientists working to minimize losses in switchgrass biomass production caused by virus infections.

Technical Abstract: Virus infections have the potential to reduce biomass yields in energy crops, including Panicum virgatum (switchgrass). As a first step towards managing virus-induced biomass reductions, deep sequencing was used to identify viruses associated with mosaic symptoms in switch grass, which detected three short sequences apparently from a novel mastrevirus. Subsequently, total DNA was extracted from switchgrass varieties “Dewey Blue” and “Cloud Nine” and virus circular DNA was amplified using the rolling circle method. Amplicons were cloned and sequenced. A complete mastrevirus genome sequence was obtained from each of the two switchgrass varieties. The two genome nucleotide sequences were 88% identical to each other, but 56-57% identical to their closest relatives in the Mastrevirus genus. The predicted amino acid sequences of the capsid, replication-associated , and putative movement proteins of the two new mastrevirus isolateswere 95%, 79%, and 87% identical to each other, respectively, and 46-48%, 31%, and 42-48% identical to those of their closest relatives. Based on the genome identity threshold of 75% set by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses and phylogenetic analyses, the two mastrevirus isolates qualify as a new species, which we propose to name: Switchgrass DNA virus-1 (SDaV-1). This is the first report of a mastrevirus in North America.