Wild lime psyllid Leuronota fagarae Burckhardt (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) picorna-like virus full genome annotation and classification

Douglas S Stuehler Jr; Wayne B Hunter; Yisel Carrillo-Tarazona; Hector Espitia; Joseph M Cicero; Tracey Bell; Hannah R Mann; Sasha-Kay V Clarke; Thomson M Paris; Jackie L Metz; Tom D'Elia; Jawwad A Qureshi; Liliana M Cano

doi:10.1016/j.jip.2023.107995

Wild lime psyllid Leuronota fagarae Burckhardt (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) picorna-like virus full genome annotation and classification

J Invertebr Pathol. 2023 Nov:201:107995. doi: 10.1016/j.jip.2023.107995. Epub 2023 Sep 23.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ ORISE Participant, DOE/USDA, ARS, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA; USDA, ARS, 2001 South Rock Road, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA. Electronic address: douglas.stuehler@usda.gov.
² USDA, ARS, 2001 South Rock Road, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA. Electronic address: wayne.hunter@usda.gov.
³ University of Florida, IFAS, Department of Plant Pathology, Indian River Research and Education Center, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA. Electronic address: yiselcarrillotar@ufl.edu.
⁴ University of Florida, IFAS, Department of Plant Pathology, Indian River Research and Education Center, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA. Electronic address: hespitianavarro@ufl.edu.
⁵ University of Florida, IFAS, Department of Plant Pathology, Indian River Research and Education Center, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA.
⁶ Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, FL 34949, USA. Electronic address: tnb18@fsu.edu.
⁷ Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, FL 34949, USA.
⁸ University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.
⁹ ORISE Participant, DOE/USDA, ARS, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA; USDA, ARS, 2001 South Rock Road, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA. Electronic address: thomsonparis@ufl.edu.
¹⁰ University of Florida, IFAS, Department of Plant Pathology, Indian River Research and Education Center, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA. Electronic address: jackimetz@bellsouth.net.
¹¹ Department of Biology, Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, FL 34949, USA. Electronic address: tdelia@irsc.edu.
¹² University of Florida, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC), 2685 SR 29 North Immokalee, FL 34142, USA. Electronic address: jawwadq@ufl.edu.
¹³ University of Florida, IFAS, Department of Plant Pathology, Indian River Research and Education Center, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA. Electronic address: lmcano@ufl.edu.

PMID: 37748676
DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2023.107995

Abstract

Picorna-like viruses of the order Picornavirales are a poorly defined group of positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses that include numerous pathogens known to infect plants, animals, and insects. A new picorna-like viral species was isolated from the wild lime psyllid (WLP), Leuronota fagarae, in the state of Florida, USA, and labelled: Leuronota fagarae picorna-like virus isolate FL (LfPLV-FL). The virus was found to have homology to a picorna-like virus identified in the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri, collected in the state of Florida. Computational analysis of RNA extracts from WLP adult heads identified a 10,006-nucleotide sequence encoding a 2,942 amino acid polyprotein with similar functional domain structure to polyproteins of both Dicistroviridae and Iflaviridae. Sequence comparisons of nucleic acid and amino acid translations of the conserved RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, along with the entire N-terminal nonstructural coding region, provided insight into an evolutionary relationship of LfPLV-FL to insect-infecting iflaviruses. Viruses belonging to the family Iflaviridae encode a polyprotein of around 3000 amino acids in length that is processed post-translationally to produce components necessary for replication. The classification of a novel picorna-like virus in L. fagarae, with evolutionary characteristics similar to picorna-like viruses infecting Bactericera cockerelli and D. citri, provides an opportunity to examine virus host specificity, as well as identify critical components of the virus' genome required for successful transmission, infection, and replication. This bioinformatic classification allows for further insight into a novel virus species, and aids in the research of a closely related virus of the invasive psyllid, D. citri, a major pest of Floridian citriculture. The potential use of viral pathogens as expression vectors to manage the spread D. citri is an area that requires additional research; however, it may bring forth an effective control strategy to reduce the transmission of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the causative agent of Huanglongbing (HLB).

Keywords: Huanglongbing; Insect virus; Leuronota; Picorna-like virus; Psyllid.

MeSH terms

Amino Acids
Animals
Citrus*
Hemiptera* / genetics
Plant Diseases
Polyproteins
Rhizobiaceae* / genetics
Viruses*

Substances

Amino Acids
Polyproteins

Supplementary concepts

Diaphorina citri
Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus