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Li S, Li H, Lian R, Xie J, Feng R. New perspective of small-molecule antiviral drugs development for RNA viruses. Virology 2024; 594:110042. [PMID: 38492519 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2024.110042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
High variability and adaptability of RNA viruses allows them to spread between humans and animals, causing large-scale infectious diseases which seriously threat human and animal health and social development. At present, AIDS, viral hepatitis and other viral diseases with high incidence and low cure rate are still spreading around the world. The outbreaks of Ebola, Zika, dengue and in particular of the global pandemic of COVID-19 have presented serious challenges to the global public health system. The development of highly effective and broad-spectrum antiviral drugs is a substantial and urgent research subject to deal with the current RNA virus infection and the possible new viral infections in the future. In recent years, with the rapid development of modern disciplines such as artificial intelligence technology, bioinformatics, molecular biology, and structural biology, some new strategies and targets for antivirals development have emerged. Here we review the main strategies and new targets for developing small-molecule antiviral drugs against RNA viruses through the analysis of the new drug development progress against several highly pathogenic RNA viruses, to provide clues for development of future antivirals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shasha Li
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, 730030, China; Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioengineering of State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, 730030, China
| | - Huixia Li
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioengineering of State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, 730030, China
| | - Ruiya Lian
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, 730030, China; Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioengineering of State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, 730030, China
| | - Jingying Xie
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, 730030, China; Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioengineering of State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, 730030, China
| | - Ruofei Feng
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioengineering of State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, 730030, China.
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Wang Y, Mei Y, Su C, Wang Z, Li F, Hu T, Wang Z, Liu S, Li F, Zhou X. GPIBase: A comprehensive resource for geminivirus-plant-insect research. MOLECULAR PLANT 2023; 16:647-649. [PMID: 36809879 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2023.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yaqin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yang Mei
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Chenlu Su
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Zuoqi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Fangfang Li
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Tao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Zhanqi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vector Biology and Pathogen Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Sciences, Huzhou University, Huzhou 313000, China
| | - Shusheng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Fei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
| | - Xueping Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
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Guo C, Ye Z, Hu B, Shan S, Chen J, Sun Z, Li J, Wei Z. The Characterization of Three Novel Insect-Specific Viruses Discovered in the Bean Bug, Riptortus pedestris. Viruses 2022; 14:v14112500. [PMID: 36423109 PMCID: PMC9696879 DOI: 10.3390/v14112500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect-specific virus (ISV) is one of the most promising agents for the biological control of insects, which is abundantly distributed in hematophagous insects. However, few ISVs have been reported in Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius), one of the major pests threatening soybeans and causing great losses in yield and quality. In this work, field Riptortus pedestris was collected from six soybean-producing regions in China, and their virome was analyzed with the metatranscriptomic approach. Altogether, seven new insect RNA viruses were identified, three of which had complete RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and nearly full-length genome sequences, which were named Riptortus pedestris alphadrosrha-like virus 1 (RpALv1), Riptortus pedestris alphadrosrha-like virus 2 (RpALv2) and Riptortus pedestris almendra-like virus (RiALv). The three identified novel ISVs belonged to the family Rhabdoviridae, and phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that they were clustered into new distinct clades. Interestingly, the analysis of virus-derived small-interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs) indicated that only RiALv-derived siRNAs exhibited 22 nt length preference, whereas no clear 21 or 22 nt peaks were observed for RpALv1 and RpALv2, suggesting the complexity of siRNA-based antiviral immunity in R. pedestris. In conclusion, this study contributes to a better understanding of the microenvironment in R. pedestris and provides viral information for the development of potential soybean insect-specific biocontrol agents.
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Escobedo-Bonilla CM. Mini Review: Virus Interference: History, Types and Occurrence in Crustaceans. Front Immunol 2021; 12:674216. [PMID: 34177916 PMCID: PMC8226315 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.674216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Virus interference is a phenomenon in which two viruses interact within a host, affecting the outcome of infection of at least one of such viruses. The effect of this event was first observed in the XVIII century and it was first recorded even before virology was recognized as a distinct science from microbiology. Studies on virus interference were mostly done in the decades between 1930 and 1960 in viruses infecting bacteria and different vertebrates. The systems included in vivo experiments and later, more refined assays were done using tissue and cell cultures. Many viruses involved in interference are pathogenic to humans or to economically important animals. Thus the phenomenon may be relevant to medicine and to animal production due to the possibility to use it as alternative to chemical therapies against virus infections to reduce the severity of disease/mortality caused by a superinfecting virus. Virus interference is defined as the host resistance to a superinfection caused by a pathogenic virus causing obvious signs of disease and/or mortality due to the action of an interfering virus abrogating the replication of the former virus. Different degrees of inhibition of the superinfecting virus can occur. Due to the emergence of novel pathogenic viruses in recent years, virus interference has recently been revisited using different pathogens and hosts, including commercially important farmed aquatic species. Here, some highly pathogenic viruses affecting farmed crustaceans can be affected by interference with other viruses. This review presents data on the history of virus interference in hosts including bacteria and animals, with emphasis on the known cases of virus interference in crustacean hosts. Life Science Identifiers (LSIDs) Escherichia coli [(Migula 1895) Castellani & Chalmers 1919] Aedes albopictus (Skuse 1894) Liocarcinus depurator (Linnaeus 1758): urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:107387 Penaeus duorarum (Burkenroad 1939): urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:158334 Carcinus maenas (Linnaeus 1758): urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:107381 Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man 1879): urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:220137 Penaeus vannamei (Boone 1931): urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C30A0A50-E309-4E24-851D-01CF94D97F23 Penaeus monodon (Fabricius 1798): urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3DD50D8B-01C2-48A7-B80D-9D9DD2E6F7AD Penaeus stylirostris (Stimpson 1874): urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:584982.
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Affiliation(s)
- César Marcial Escobedo-Bonilla
- Laboratory of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, Aquaculture Department, Instituto Politécnico Nacional - CIIDIR Unidad Sinaloa, Guasave, Mexico
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Marucci G, Zullino I, Bertuccini L, Camerini S, Cecchetti S, Pietrantoni A, Casella M, Vatta P, Greenwood AD, Fiorillo A, Lalle M. Re-Discovery of Giardiavirus: Genomic and Functional Analysis of Viruses from Giardia duodenalis Isolates. Biomedicines 2021; 9:654. [PMID: 34201207 PMCID: PMC8230311 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9060654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Giardiasis, caused by the protozoan parasite Giardia duodenalis, is an intestinal diarrheal disease affecting almost one billion people worldwide. A small endosymbiotic dsRNA viruses, G. lamblia virus (GLV), genus Giardiavirus, family Totiviridae, might inhabit human and animal isolates of G. duodenalis. Three GLV genomes have been sequenced so far, and only one was intensively studied; moreover, a positive correlation between GLV and parasite virulence is yet to be proved. To understand the biological significance of GLV infection in Giardia, the characterization of several GLV strains from naturally infected G. duodenalis isolates is necessary. Here we report high-throughput sequencing of four GLVs strains, from Giardia isolates of human and animal origin. We also report on a new, unclassified viral sequence (designed GdRV-2), unrelated to Giardiavirus, encoding and expressing for a single large protein with an RdRp domain homologous to Totiviridae and Botybirnaviridae. The result of our sequencing and proteomic analyses challenge the current knowledge on GLV and strongly suggest that viral capsid protein translation unusually starts with a proline and that translation of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) occurs via a +1/-2 ribosomal frameshift mechanism. Nucleotide polymorphism, confirmed by mass-spectrometry analysis, was also observed among and between GLV strains. Phylogenetic analysis indicated the occurrence of at least two GLV subtypes which display different phenotypes and transmissibility in experimental infections of a GLV naïve Giardia isolate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Marucci
- Unit of Foodborne and Neglected Parasitic Disease, Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.M.); (I.Z.); (P.V.)
| | - Ilaria Zullino
- Unit of Foodborne and Neglected Parasitic Disease, Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.M.); (I.Z.); (P.V.)
| | - Lucia Bertuccini
- Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (L.B.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (A.P.); (M.C.)
| | - Serena Camerini
- Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (L.B.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (A.P.); (M.C.)
| | - Serena Cecchetti
- Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (L.B.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (A.P.); (M.C.)
| | - Agostina Pietrantoni
- Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (L.B.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (A.P.); (M.C.)
| | - Marialuisa Casella
- Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (L.B.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (A.P.); (M.C.)
| | - Paolo Vatta
- Unit of Foodborne and Neglected Parasitic Disease, Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.M.); (I.Z.); (P.V.)
| | - Alex D. Greenwood
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, 10315 Berlin, Germany;
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Annarita Fiorillo
- Department of Biochemical Science “A. Rossi-Fanelli”, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Marco Lalle
- Unit of Foodborne and Neglected Parasitic Disease, Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.M.); (I.Z.); (P.V.)
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Kaszab E, Doszpoly A, Lanave G, Verma A, Bányai K, Malik YS, Marton S. Metagenomics revealing new virus species in farm and pet animals and aquaculture. GENOMICS AND BIOTECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN VETERINARY, POULTRY, AND FISHERIES 2020. [PMCID: PMC7149329 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-816352-8.00002-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Viral metagenomics is slowly taking over the traditional and widely used molecular techniques for the investigation of pathogenic viruses responsible for illness and inflicting great economic burden on the farm animal industry. Owing to the continued improvements in sequencing technologies and the dramatic reduction of per base costs of sequencing the use of next generation sequencing have been key factors in this progress. Discoveries linked to viral metagenomics are expected to be beneficial to the field of veterinary medicine starting from the development of better diagnostic assays to the design of new subunit vaccines with minimal investments. With these achievements the research has taken a giant leap even toward the better healthcare of animals and, as a result, the animal sector could be growing at an unprecedented pace.
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Chlojaponilactone B Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Responses by Suppressing TLR4-Mediated ROS Generation and NF-κB Signaling Pathway. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24203731. [PMID: 31623197 PMCID: PMC6832138 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24203731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The lindenane-type sesquiterpenoid chlojaponilactone B (1), isolated from Chloranthus japonicus, has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory properties. The present study aimed to further explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory activity of 1. RNA-seq analyses revealed the significant changes in the expression levels of genes related to multiple inflammatory pathways upon treatment of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 murine macrophages with 1. Real time PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to confirm the modulations in the expression of essential molecules related to inflammatory responses. Compound 1 inhibited toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) activation upon LPS stimulation, influencing the expression of NF-κB and pro-inflammatory mediators. Molecular docking studies showed that 1 bound to TLR4 in a manner similar to that of TAK-242, a TLR4 inhibitor. Moreover, our results showed that 1 suppressed inflammatory responses by inhibiting TLR4 and subsequently decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, downregulating the NF-κB, thus reducing the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines iNOS, NO, COX-2, IL-6 and TNF-α; these effects were similar to those of TAK-242. We proposed that 1 should be considered as a potential anti-inflammatory compound in future research.
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Cordey S, Laubscher F, Hartley MA, Junier T, Pérez-Rodriguez FJ, Keitel K, Vieille G, Samaka J, Mlaganile T, Kagoro F, Boillat-Blanco N, Mbarack Z, Docquier M, Brito F, Eibach D, May J, Sothmann P, Aldrich C, Lusingu J, Tapparel C, D'Acremont V, Kaiser L. Detection of dicistroviruses RNA in blood of febrile Tanzanian children. Emerg Microbes Infect 2019; 8:613-623. [PMID: 30999808 PMCID: PMC6493270 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2019.1603791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Fever is the leading cause of paediatric outpatient consultations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although most are suspected to be of viral origin, a putative causative pathogen is not identified in over a quarter of these febrile episodes. Using a de novo assembly sequencing approach, we report the detection (15.4%) of dicistroviruses (DicV) RNA in sera collected from 692 febrile Tanzanian children. In contrast, DicV RNA was only detected in 1/77 (1.3%) plasma samples from febrile Tanzanian adults, suggesting that children could represent the primary susceptible population. Estimated viral load by specific quantitative real-time RT–PCR assay ranged from < 1.32E3 to 1.44E7 viral RNA copies/mL serum. Three DicV full-length genomes were obtained, and a phylogenetic analyse on the capsid region showed the presence of two clusters representing tentative novel genus. Although DicV-positive cases were detected throughout the year, a significantly higher positivity rate was observed during the rainy season. This study reveals that novel DicV RNA is frequently detected in the blood of Tanzanian children, paving the way for further investigations to determine if DicV possibly represent a new agent in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Cordey
- a Division of Infectious Diseases and Laboratory of Virology , University of Geneva Hospitals Geneva , Switzerland.,b University of Geneva Medical School Geneva , Switzerland
| | - Florian Laubscher
- a Division of Infectious Diseases and Laboratory of Virology , University of Geneva Hospitals Geneva , Switzerland.,b University of Geneva Medical School Geneva , Switzerland
| | - Mary-Anne Hartley
- c Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine , Lausanne University Hospital Lausanne , Switzerland
| | - Thomas Junier
- d Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics Geneva , Switzerland.,e Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences , École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne , Switzerland
| | | | - Kristina Keitel
- f Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute , University of Basel Basel , Switzerland
| | - Gael Vieille
- a Division of Infectious Diseases and Laboratory of Virology , University of Geneva Hospitals Geneva , Switzerland.,b University of Geneva Medical School Geneva , Switzerland
| | - Josephine Samaka
- g Ifakara Health Institute , Dar es Salaam , Tanzania.,h Amana Hospital , Dar es Salaam , Tanzania
| | | | - Frank Kagoro
- g Ifakara Health Institute , Dar es Salaam , Tanzania
| | - Noémie Boillat-Blanco
- f Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute , University of Basel Basel , Switzerland.,i Infectious Diseases Service , Lausanne University Hospital Lausanne , Switzerland
| | | | - Mylène Docquier
- k iGE3 Genomics Platform , University of Geneva Geneva , Switzerland
| | - Francisco Brito
- d Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics Geneva , Switzerland.,l Department of Genetic Medicine and Development , Faculty of Medicine of Geneva Geneva , Switzerland
| | - Daniel Eibach
- m Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology , Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg , Germany.,n German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF) , Hamburg , Germany
| | - Jürgen May
- m Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology , Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg , Germany.,n German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF) , Hamburg , Germany
| | - Peter Sothmann
- m Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology , Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg , Germany.,n German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF) , Hamburg , Germany.,o Division of Tropical Medicine, 1st Department of Medicine , University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf Hamburg , Germany.,p Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine , Medical Center of the University of Munich (LMU) Munich , Germany
| | - Cassandra Aldrich
- m Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology , Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg , Germany.,p Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine , Medical Center of the University of Munich (LMU) Munich , Germany
| | - John Lusingu
- q National Institute for Medical Research , Tanga Research Centre , Tanga , Tanzania
| | | | - Valérie D'Acremont
- c Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine , Lausanne University Hospital Lausanne , Switzerland.,f Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute , University of Basel Basel , Switzerland
| | - Laurent Kaiser
- a Division of Infectious Diseases and Laboratory of Virology , University of Geneva Hospitals Geneva , Switzerland.,b University of Geneva Medical School Geneva , Switzerland.,r Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases Geneva , Switzerland
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Rosani U, Shapiro M, Venier P, Allam B. A Needle in A Haystack: Tracing Bivalve-Associated Viruses in High-Throughput Transcriptomic Data. Viruses 2019; 11:v11030205. [PMID: 30832203 PMCID: PMC6466128 DOI: 10.3390/v11030205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Bivalve mollusks thrive in environments rich in microorganisms, such as estuarine and coastal waters, and they tend to accumulate various particles, including viruses. However, the current knowledge on mollusk viruses is mainly centered on few pathogenic viruses, whereas a general view of bivalve-associated viromes is lacking. This study was designed to explore the viral abundance and diversity in bivalve mollusks using transcriptomic datasets. From analyzing RNA-seq data of 58 bivalve species, we have reconstructed 26 nearly complete and over 413 partial RNA virus genomes. Although 96.4% of the predicted viral proteins refer to new viruses, some sequences belong to viruses associated with bivalve species or other marine invertebrates. We considered short non-coding RNAs (sncRNA) and post-transcriptional modifications occurring specifically on viral RNAs as tools for virus host-assignment. We could not identify virus-derived small RNAs in sncRNA reads obtained from the oyster sample richest in viral reads. Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) analysis revealed 938 A-to-G substitutions occurring on the 26 identified RNA viruses, preferentially impacting the AA di-nucleotide motif. Under-representation analysis revealed that the AA motif is under-represented in these bivalve-associated viruses. These findings improve our understanding of bivalve viromes, and set the stage for targeted investigations on the specificity and dynamics of identified viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umberto Rosani
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, 35121 Padua, Italy.
| | - Maxwell Shapiro
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000, USA.
| | - Paola Venier
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, 35121 Padua, Italy.
| | - Bassem Allam
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000, USA.
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