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Alphapartitiviruses of Heterobasidion Wood Decay Fungi Affect Each Other’s Transmission and Host Growth

Summary

This research examined how different viruses that infect wood-decay fungi interact with each other and affect their fungal hosts. The study has important implications for forest health and potential biological control of tree diseases. Key impacts on everyday life include: • Better understanding of natural viral control of destructive forest pathogens • Potential development of virus-based treatments to protect valuable timber resources • Improved forest management strategies to maintain healthy woodland ecosystems • Economic benefits through reduced timber losses from fungal diseases • Advancement of sustainable, chemical-free methods for controlling tree diseases

Background

Heterobasidion spp. root rot fungi are highly destructive forest pathogens of northern boreal forests and are known to host diverse communities of partitiviruses. These mycoviruses transmit horizontally among host strains via mycelial anastomoses. Previous research has shown that 15-17% of Heterobasidion strains are infected by one or more viruses, with complex interactions between co-infecting viruses potentially affecting both fungal and viral ecology.

Objective

To investigate how pre-existing virus infections affect the transmission rates and phenotypic effects of other viruses among two strains of H. annosum, and to examine the impacts of viral co-infections on host growth and viral gene expression patterns.

Results

The transmission efficacy of mycovirus HetPV15-pa1 increased from 0% to 50% when the recipient was pre-infected with HetPV13-an1. Double infection of these viruses in the donor resulted in 90% transmission to virus-free recipients. Pre-existing infections of closely related HetPV11 strains hindered each other’s transmission. Co-infection of HetPV13-an1 and HetPV15-pa1 significantly reduced host growth. RdRp transcripts were generally more abundant than capsid protein transcripts, with each virus strain showing unique transcript ratios.

Conclusion

The interactions between co-infecting partitiviruses and their fungal hosts are highly complex and unpredictable. Virus transmission rates and phenotypic effects can be significantly altered by the presence of other viruses, with both enhancement and interference effects observed. The findings suggest potential applications for biological control of forest pathogens using specific viral combinations.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Experimental Study,
  • Source: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00064
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