Characterization of Four Novel dsRNA Viruses Isolated from <i>Mucor</i> <i>hiemalis</i> Strains
Tünde Kartali,
Ildikó Nyilasi,
Sándor Kocsubé,
Roland Patai,
Tamás F. Polgár,
Nóra Zsindely,
Gábor Nagy,
László Bodai,
Zoltán Lipinszki,
Csaba Vágvölgyi,
Tamás Papp
Affiliations
Tünde Kartali
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
Ildikó Nyilasi
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
Sándor Kocsubé
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
Roland Patai
Neuronal Plasticity Research Group, Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Centre, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
Tamás F. Polgár
Neuronal Plasticity Research Group, Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Centre, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
Nóra Zsindely
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
Gábor Nagy
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
László Bodai
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
Zoltán Lipinszki
MTA SZBK Lendület Laboratory of Cell Cycle Regulation, Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Centre, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), 6726 Szeged, Hungary
Csaba Vágvölgyi
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
Tamás Papp
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
We previously screened the total nucleic acid extracts of 123 Mucor strains for the presence of dsRNA molecules without further molecular analyses. Here, we characterized five novel dsRNA genomes isolated from four different Mucor hiemalis strains with next-generation sequencing (NGS), namely Mucor hiemalis virus 1a (MhV1a) from WRL CN(M) 122; Mucor hiemalis virus 1b (MhV1b) from NRRL 3624; Mucor hiemalis virus 2 (MhV2) from NRRL 3616; and Mucor hiemalis virus 3 (MhV3) and Mucor hiemalis virus (MhV4) from NRRL 3617 strains. Genomes contain two open reading frames (ORF), which encode the coat protein (CP) and the RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), respectively. In MhV1a and MhV1b, it is predicted to be translated as a fusion protein via -1 ribosomal frameshift, while in MhV4 via a rare +1 (or−2) ribosomal frameshift. In MhV2 and MhV3, the presence of specific UAAUG pentanucleotide motif points to the fact for coupled translation termination and reinitialization. MhV1a, MhV2, and MhV3 are part of the clade representing the genus Victorivirus, while MhV4 is seated in Totivirus genus clade. The detected VLPs in Mucor strains were from 33 to 36 nm in diameter. Hybridization analysis revealed that the dsRNA molecules of MhV1a-MhV4 hybridized to the corresponding molecules.
