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Expanding the size limit of RNA viruses: Evidence of a novel divergent nidovirus in California sea hare, with a ~35.9 kb virus genome

View ORCID ProfileHumberto J Debat
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/307678
Humberto J Debat
1Instituto de Patología Vegetal, Centro de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria (IPAVE-CIAP-INTA), 11 de setiembre 4755, Córdoba, Argentina, X5020ICA.
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  • ORCID record for Humberto J Debat
  • For correspondence: debat.humberto@inta.gob.ar
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Abstract

While RNA viruses thrive with massive structural and functional diversity, their genomes size variation is particularly low, ranging only from ~2-to-33 kb. Here, I present the characterization of RNA sequences corresponding to the first virus associated with Aplysia californica. Genome structure and domain architecture suggest that the identified virus is a novel member of Nidovirales. The proposed aplysia californica nido-like virus (AcNV), with a genome sequence of ca.35,906 nt, represents the longest ever recorded RNA virus yet. Phylogenetic insights indicate that AcNV clusters in a major phylloclade of unclassified invertebrate nidoviruses, Roniviridae, and Mesoniviridae. Basal branching in this emerging cluster could indicate that AcNV is a member of a novel divergent clade within Nidovirales. Further, virus RNA detection in multiple independent studies suggests that AcNV is neurotropic with a broad cell/tissue/organ tropism, supported by AcNV occurrence in diverse organs, including the first detection of a Nidovirales in single specific neurons.

Highlights

  • -RNA virus genomes reported in the literature are limited at ca. 33.4 kb

  • -A novel nidovirus was identified in the gastropod mollusk Aplysia californica

  • -The aplysia californica nido-like virus (AcNV) presents a 35.9 kb RNA genome

  • -AcNV has a broad tropism, is enriched in the CNS, and accumulates in neurons

  • -The unique features of A. californica enables single-neuron virus dynamics of AcNV

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted April 24, 2018.
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Expanding the size limit of RNA viruses: Evidence of a novel divergent nidovirus in California sea hare, with a ~35.9 kb virus genome
Humberto J Debat
bioRxiv 307678; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/307678
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Expanding the size limit of RNA viruses: Evidence of a novel divergent nidovirus in California sea hare, with a ~35.9 kb virus genome
Humberto J Debat
bioRxiv 307678; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/307678

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