A positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus acquired a negative-sense open reading frame through recombination

Although positive- and negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses are ubiquitous in nature, there is currently no evidence of recombination or reassortment between viruses with these two major forms of genome organization. Here, we describe the discovery of brine shrimp virga-like virus 1 (BSVV1), a novel positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus with a recombinant genome structure derived from two viral phyla with differing genome organizations. The genome of BSVV1 comprises three open reading frames (ORFs). ORF1 resembles the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of Ips virga-like virus 1 (a positive-sense RNA virus), while ORF2, transcribed in the positive orientation, is related to the glycoprotein of Hubei bunya-like virus 10 and other negative-sense RNA viruses. The predicted ORF3 was unique to BSVV1 without known homologs identified. The presence of the three protein products was verified by mass spectrometry. Notably, our analysis also revealed that BSVV1 is geographically widespread and found in brine shrimp from at least eight countries on four continents. In addition, BSVV1 was successfully cultured and proliferated to high viral loads during brine shrimp development. In sum, we provide compelling evidence of an ancient recombination event between negative- and positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses, enriching our understanding of the evolution of genome structures in RNA viruses.

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Publication Details

Journal
PLoS Pathogens
Published
2025-04-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013015
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Plant Virus Research Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.50

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article

A positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus acquired a negative-sense open reading frame through recombination

Cixiu Li, Chengyan Zhou, Patrick Sorgeloos, Liying Sui et al.
2 citations
PLoS Pathogens
Plant Virus Research Studies
3.50
article

A positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus acquired a negative-sense open reading frame through recombination

Cixiu Li, Chengyan Zhou, Patrick Sorgeloos, Liying Sui, Jie Huang, Xuan Dong, Jing Gao, Hans Nauwynck, Weifeng Shi, Hu Zhou, Edward C. Holmes, Xuan Li, Fan Zhang, Guohao Wang, Yi‐Ting Wang, Zhongshuai Tian
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Although positive- and negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses are ubiquitous in nature, there is currently no evidence of recombination or reassortment between viruses with these two major forms of genome organization. Here, we describe the discovery of brine shrimp virga-like virus 1 (BSVV1), a novel positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus with a recombinant genome structure derived from two viral phyla with differing genome organizations. The genome of BSVV1 comprises three open reading frames (ORFs). ORF1 resembles the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of Ips virga-like virus 1 (a positive-sense RNA virus), while ORF2, transcribed in the positive orientation, is related to the glycoprotein of Hubei bunya-like virus 10 and other negative-sense RNA viruses. The predicted ORF3 was unique to BSVV1 without known homologs identified. The presence of the three protein products was verified by mass spectrometry. Notably, our analysis also revealed that BSVV1 is geographically widespread and found in brine shrimp from at least eight countries on four continents. In addition, BSVV1 was successfully cultured and proliferated to high viral loads during brine shrimp development. In sum, we provide compelling evidence of an ancient recombination event between negative- and positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses, enriching our understanding of the evolution of genome structures in RNA viruses.

PLoS PathogensVol. 21(4)
The University of Sydney (AU), Tianjin University of Science and Technology (CN), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Ruijin Hospital (CN), Ghent University (BE), Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (CN), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (CN), Shandong First Medical University (CN)
Agriculture Research System of China, Natural Science Foundation of Qingdao, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Plant Virus Research Studies
3.50
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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