Molecular Characterization of a Novel Virga-like Virus Isolated From Wheat

Abstract In this work, we report the isolation of a novel positive-sense single strand RNA virus from wheat, tentatively named Triticum aestivum-associated virga-like virus 1 (TaAVLV1). Further characterization revealed that the complete genome of TaAVLV1 was divided into two segments, RNA1 and RNA2, which were 3530 and 3466 nt long, excluding the polyA tail. These segments contained two open reading frames (ORFs). The ORF in RNA1 encoded an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), while the ORF in RNA2 encoded a putative protein carrying MET and HEL domains. Phylogenetic analysis based on the RdRp protein of each representative genus of Virgaviridae placed TaAVLV1 in the unclassified Virgaviridae clade of the Virgaviridae family. To our knowledge, this is the first report of virga-like virus isolated from wheat. Future studies will be conducted to examine its effect on host growth and development.