Complete genome sequence of a novel mitovirus identified in the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis strain T-SD3

Abstract

A novel mitovirus was identified in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis strain T-SD3 and designated as "Fusarium oxysporum mitovirus 3" (FoMV3). The virus was isolated from diseased muskmelon plants with the typical symptom of fusarium wilt. The complete genome of FoMV3 is 2269 nt in length with a predicted AU content of 61.40% and contains a single open reading frame (ORF) using the fungal mitochondrial genetic code. The ORF was predicted to encode a polypeptide of 679 amino acids (aa) containing a conserved RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain with a molecular mass of 77.39 kDa, which contains six conserved motifs with the highly conserved GDD tripeptide in motif IV. The 5'-untranslated region (UTR) and 3'-UTR of FoMV3 were predicted to fold into stem-loop structures. BLASTp analysis revealed that the RdRp of FoMV3 shared the highest aa sequence identity (83.85%) with that of Fusarium asiaticum mitovirus 5 (FaMV5, a member of the family Mitoviridae) infecting F. asiaticum, the causal agent of wheat fusarium head blight. Phylogenetic analysis further suggested that FoMV3 is a new member of the genus Unuamitovirus within the family Mitoviridae. This is the first report of a new mitovirus associated with F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis.