Novel RNA Viruses from the Transcriptome of Pheromone Glands in the Pink Bollworm Moth, Pectinophora gossypiella

Abstract

In this study, we analyzed the transcriptome obtained from the pheromone gland isolated from two Israeli populations of the pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella to identify viral sequences. The lab population and the field samples carried the same viral sequences. We discovered four novel viruses: two positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses, Pectinophora gossypiella virus 1 (PecgV1, a virus of Iflaviridae) and Pectinophora gossypiella virus 4 (PecgV4, unclassified), and two negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses, Pectinophora gossypiella virus 2 (PecgV2, a virus of Phasmaviridae) and Pectinophora gossypiella virus 3 (PecgV3, a virus of Phenuiviridae). In addition, sequences derived from two negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses that belong to Mononegavirales were found in the data. Analysis of previous transcriptome sequencing data derived from the midgut of pink bollworm larvae of a USA population only identified PecgV1, but no other viruses. High viral sequence coverages of PecgV1 and PecgV4 were observed in both field and lab populations. This is the first report of viral sequences discovered from the pink bollworm. Results from this investigation suggest that the pink bollworm harbors multiple viruses. Further investigation of the viral pathogens may help to develop novel pest management strategies for control of the pink bollworm.

Diversity of RNA viruses in agricultural insects

“…These viruses could be potential candidates for the development of novel biocontrol strategies [107] , [108] , [109] . The pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella , a major cotton pest, has recently been found to harbor four novel viruses in its pheromone glands [110] . Furthermore, several moth species have been reported to host multiple viruses.…”

A New Procedure to Identify Plant RNA Viruses Associated with the Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) Using Next-Generation Sequencing

“…One population was collected from eggplant fields near Ayn al-Tamr District, Karbala Province, Iraq. The insect populations were immediately placed in DNA/RNA Shield™ (Zymo Research, USA), frozen at -20 C and transported to the BGI Hongkong, China (Dou et al, 2021). Based on the reports provided by BGI company, the total RNA was extracted from whiteflies samples utilizing Agilent RNA 6000 nano reagents part 1 (Agilent Technologies, Germany) based on the manufacturer's instructions.…”

Prevalence of Reversed Genome Organizations for Viruses in the Family Iflaviridae , Order Picornavirales

“…Currently, there is only 1 genus Iflavirus in the family Iflaviridae , and iflaviruses are identified exclusively from arthropods, primarily from insects ( 6 ). Although the genome arrangement of all ICTV accepted viruses in the family Iflaviridae is typeI (16 species), recent studies have provided convincing evidence that the typeII genome organization can be unexpectedly presented in at least another 4 ifla-like viruses, including Diaphorina citri picorna-like virus (DcPLV) ( 13 ), Riptortus pedestris virus-2 (RiPV2) ( 14 ), Pectinophora gossypiella virus 4 (PecgV4) ( 15 ), and Bactericera cockerelli picorna-like virus (BcPLV) ( 16 ). Phylogenetic analysis shows that these 4 viruses may belong to the family Iflaviridae , raising the possibility that the 2 types of genome organizations may simultaneously exist in this family.…”