A Mechanically Transmitted DNA Mycovirus Is Targeted by the Defence Machinery of Its Host, Botrytis cinerea

Abstract

Eukaryotic circular single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses were known only to infect plants and vertebrates until the discovery of the isolated DNA mycovirus from the fungus <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i>. Similar viral sequences were reported from several other sources and classified in ten genera within the <i>Genomoviridae</i> family. The current study reports two circular ssDNA mycoviruses isolated from the phytopathogen <i>Botrytis cinerea</i>, and their assignment to a newly created genus tentatively named <i>Gemydayirivirus</i>. The mycoviruses, tentatively named botrytis gemydayirivirus 1 (BGDaV1) and BGDaV2, are 1701 and 1693 nt long and encode three and two open reading frames (ORFs), respectively. Of the predicted ORFs, only ORF I, which codes for a replication initiation protein (Rep), shared identity with other proteins in GenBank. BGDaV1 is infective as cell-free purified particles and confers hypovirulence on its natural host. Investigation revealed that BGDaV1 is a target for RNA silencing and genomic DNA methylation, keeping the virus at very low titre. The discovery of BGDaV1 expands our knowledge of the diversity of genomoviruses and their interaction with fungal hosts.