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Novel Mitoviruses and a Unique Tymo-like Virus in Hypovirulent and Virulent Strains of the Fusarium Head Blight Fungus, Fusarium boothii

Summary

This research discovered new viruses that infect fungi causing wheat disease in Ethiopia. The study is significant because it helps us understand how viruses that infect plant pathogens could potentially be used to control crop diseases naturally. Impact on everyday life: – Could lead to more sustainable methods of protecting wheat crops from fungal diseases – May reduce the need for chemical fungicides in agriculture – Could help improve food security by protecting important food crops – Contributes to our understanding of viral diversity in Africa – Demonstrates potential for biological control methods in agriculture

Background

Hypovirulence in phytopathogenic fungi is often caused by mycovirus infections. Many mycoviruses have been characterized to better understand virus diversity. While mycovirus hunting has been extensive in Asia, Europe, Americas and Oceania, exploration in Africa has been limited.

Objective

To characterize novel mycoviruses found in three strains of Fusarium boothii isolated from Ethiopian wheat plants showing Fusarium head blight symptoms. The strains carried different dsRNA patterns: hypovirulent Ep-BL13 contained >10, 3 and 2.5 kbp dsRNAs, while virulent Ep-BL14 and Ep-N28 each contained 3 kbp dsRNA.

Results

The study identified a novel tymo-like virus (Fusarium boothii large flexivirus 1, FbLFV1) with the largest genome (12,579 nt) reported in the order Tymovirales, containing a single large ORF encoding a replicase. They also characterized three strains of a new mitovirus species (Fusarium boothii mitovirus 1, FbMV1) with ~98% sequence identity between strains. The FbLFV1-infected strain showed hypovirulence while FbMV1-only strains remained virulent.

Conclusion

The study revealed novel mycoviruses from African F. boothii strains including FbLFV1, which may represent a new genus or family in Tymovirales due to its unique genomic features, and FbMV1, a new mitovirus species. This expands our understanding of mycovirus diversity and evolution, particularly in African fungal populations.
  • Published in:Viruses,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Research,
  • Source: 10.3390/v10110584
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