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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Washington, D.C. » National Arboretum » Floral and Nursery Plants Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #425926
Research Project: Detection, Biology, and Genomics of New and Emerging Viral and Bacterial Diseases of Ornamental Plants

Location: Floral and Nursery Plants Research

Title: Phragmivirus, a new genus within the family Potyviridae

Author
item INOUE-NAGATA, ALICE KAZUKO - Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA)
item Jordan, Ramon
item KREUZE, JAN - International Potato Center
item LI, FAN - Yunnan Agricultural University
item LÓPEZ-MOYA, JUAN JOSÉ - Center For Research In Agricultural Genomics (CRAG)
item MÄKINEN, KRISTIINA - University Of Helsinki
item OHSHIMA, KAZUSATO - Saga University
item RUBINO, LUISA - Istituto Di Protezione Sostenibile Delle Piante
item WYLIE, STEPHEN - Murdoch University

Submitted to: Archives of Virology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/10/2025
Publication Date: 6/27/2025
Citation: Inoue-Nagata, A., Jordan, R.L., Kreuze, J.F., Li, F., López-Moya, J., Mäkinen, K., Ohshima, K., Rubino, L., Wylie, S. 2025. Phragmivirus, a new genus within the family Potyviridae. Archives of Virology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-025-06354-x.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-025-06354-x

Interpretive Summary: There are hundreds of viruses that cause diseases in plants, leading to significant economic losses to crops. Identifying and classifying these viruses is critical to detecting, monitoring, and controlling the spread of viral diseases in plants. An international team of scientists named a new genus in the virus family Potyviridae, which contains 249 virus species, previously divided into 12 genera. This new 13th genus, Phragmivirus, is represented by two virus species. This updated taxonomy of Potyviridae, which has been accepted by the International Committee on Virus Taxonomy, will be useful to virologists and regulatory officials worldwide to ensure that viruses can be correctly identified, and their relationships to other viruses are understood.

Technical Abstract: The plant-infecting virus family Potyviridae was previously formed by 12 genera, consisting of 249 virus species, with the majority of these classified in the largest genus, Potyvirus. Potyvirids are viruses with a ssRNA genome packaged in long filamentous particles. While members of genus Bymovirus have bipartite genomes, members of the remaining genera have monopartite genomes. All viruses in the family have a genome-linked protein (VPg) present at the 5’ terminus of the genome, and all but celery latent virus (genus Celavirus) contain a polyadenylated tail at the 3’ end. The members of the 12 genera are differentiated by genomic identity, various functional motifs, and biological factors such as the type of the transmission vector and host range. Demarcation criteria for a new genus include <46% nucleotide identity with potyvirids of other genera. Here we report the new genus Phragmivirus within the family Potyviridae, which has been accepted by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, becoming the 13th genus in the family. Genus Phragmivirus is represented by two virus species (Phragmivirus phragmii and Phragmivirus spartinae) for which complete genome sequences are available for both members, namely common reed chlorotic stripe virus (CRCSV), and Spartina mottle virus (SpMV), respectively. The new genus name is derived from the botanical name of the host of CRCSV, Phragmites australis. The genome sequences of CRCSV and SpMV isolates resemble those of genus Potyvirus but lack typical conserved aphid-transmission motifs.