An eriophyid mite-transmitted plant virus contains eight genomic RNA segments with unusual heterogeneity in the nucleocapsid protein

Abstract

Eriophyid mite-transmitted, multipartite, negative-sense RNA plant viruses with membrane-bound spherical virions are classified in the genus Emaravirus. We report here that the eriophyid mite-transmitted Wheat mosaic virus (WMoV), an Emaravirus, contains eight genomic RNA segments, the most in a known negative-sense RNA plant virus. Remarkably, two RNA 3 consensus sequences, encoding the nucleocapsid protein, were found with 12.5% sequence divergence, while no heterogeneity was observed in the consensus sequences of additional genomic RNA segments. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, glycoprotein precursor, nucleocapsid, and P4 proteins of WMoV exhibited limited sequence homology with the orthologous proteins of other emaraviruses, while proteins encoded by additional genomic RNA segments displayed no significant homology with proteins reported in GenBank, suggesting that the genus Emaravirus evolved further with a divergent octapartite genome. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that WMoV formed an evolutionary link between members of the Emaravirus genus and the family Bunyaviridae. Furthermore, genomic-length virus- and virus-complementary (vc)-sense strands of all WMoV genomic RNAs accumulated asymmetrically in infected wheat, with 10- to 20-fold more virus-sense genomic RNAs than vc-sense RNAs. These data further confirm the octapartite negative-sense polarity of the WMoV genome. In WMoV-infected wheat, subgenomic-length mRNAs of vc sense were detected for genomic RNAs 3, 4, 7, and 8 but not for other RNA species, suggesting that the open reading frames present in the complementary sense of genomic RNAs are expressed through subgenomic- or near-genomic-length vc-sense mRNAs. Importance: Wheat mosaic virus (WMoV), an Emaravirus, is the causal agent of High Plains disease of wheat and maize. In this study, we demonstrated that the genome of WMoV comprises eight negative-sense RNA segments with an unusual sequence polymorphism in an RNA encoding the nucleocapsid protein but not in the additional genomic RNA segments. WMoV proteins displayed weak or no homology with reported emaraviruses, suggesting that the genus Emaravirus further evolved with a divergent octapartite genome. The current study also examined the profile of WMoV RNA accumulation in wheat and provided evidence for the synthesis of subgenomic-length mRNAs of virus complementary sense. This is the first report to demonstrate that emaraviruses produce subgenomic-length mRNAs that are most likely utilized for genome expression. Importantly, this study facilitates the examination of gene functions and virus diversity and the development of effective diagnostic methods and management strategies for an economically important but poorly understood virus.