Novel Putative Tymoviridae-like Virus Isolated from Culex Mosquitoes in Colombia

Abstract

The family Tymoviridae comprises positive-sense RNA viruses, which mainly infect plants. Recently, a few Tymoviridae-like viruses have been found in mosquitoes, which feed on vertebrate sources. We describe a novel Tymoviridae-like virus, putatively named, Guachaca virus (GUAV), isolated from Culex pipiens and Culex quinquefasciatus species of mosquitoes and collected in the rural area of Santa Marta, Colombia. After a cytopathic effect was observed in C6/36 cells, RNA was extracted and processed through the NetoVIR next-generation sequencing protocol, and data were analyzed through the VirMAP pipeline. Molecular and phenotypic characterization of the GUAV was achieved using a 5′/3′ RACE, transmission electron microscopy, amplification in vertebrate cells, and phylogenetic analysis. A cytopathic effect was observed in C6/36 cells three days post-infection. The GUAV genome was successfully assembled, and its polyadenylated 3′ end was corroborated. GUAV shared only 54.9% amino acid identity with its closest relative, Ek Balam virus, and was grouped with the latter and other unclassified insect-associated tymoviruses in a phylogenetic analysis. GUAV is a new member of a family previously described as comprising plant-infecting viruses, which seem to infect and replicate in mosquitoes. The sugar- and blood-feeding behavior of the Culex spp., implies a sustained contact with plants and vertebrates and justifies further studies to unravel the ecological scenario for transmission.

Characterizing viral species in mosquitoes (Culicidae) in the Colombian Orinoco: insights from a preliminary metagenomic study

“…The specific conditions of the shared environment could explain the similarities observed in the viromes of different mosquito species co-occurring in the same habitat. These conditions could potentially act as a selective pressure on mosquitoes, a concept proposed in a recent study in Colombia 40 . These findings are in line with metatranscriptomic analyses of the virome of Culex mosquitoes ( Cx.…”

“…Meanwhile, other ISVs with low representation (Fig. 3 ), such as Uxmal virus, Tanay virus, Cordoba virus, and Castlerea virus , from the Negevirus genus, are phylogenetically related to plant viruses 51 , 52 , suggesting the adaptation of plant viruses in insects that feed on plant fluids, possibly through selection pressure processes 40 . It is noteworthy that the ISVs detected in this study have been reported with a wide geographic distribution and a broad range of mosquito host species, including Aedes, Culex, Ochlerotatus, and Mansonia 27 , 45 , 52 , 53 .…”

“…Another study conducted in a rural area in the northern (coastal) part of the country discovered a putative new virus called Guachaca virus (family Tymoviridae) in Culex spp. Phylogenetically related to plants, suggesting an ecological relationship between plant viruses and plant-feeding insects, as well as a selection pressure driving the adaptation of the virus in the mosquito vector 40 .…”

A tangled threesome: understanding arbovirus infection in Aedes spp. and the effect of the mosquito microbiota

“…ISVs have been described in the Birnaviridae, Bunyaviridae, Mesoniviridae, Negeviridae, Nodaviridae, Reoviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Togaviridae, Tymoviridae, and Flaviviridae families. They only infect insects and are vertically transmitted (Bolling et al, 2015 ; Hoyos-López et al, 2016 ; Guzman et al, 2018 ; Salim Mattar and Marco González, 2018 ; Öhlund et al, 2019 ; Laiton-Donato et al, 2023 ).…”