Identification and genomic characterization of a novel tobamovirus from prickly pear cactus

[EN] In this work, we describe the complete sequence and genome organization of a novel tobamovirus detected in a prickly pear plant (Opuntia sp.) by high-throughput sequencing, tentatively named "opuntia virus 2". The full genome of opuntia virus 2 is 6,453 nucleotides in length and contains four open reading frames (ORFs) coding for the two subunits of the RNA polymerase, the movement protein, and the coat protein, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis using the complete nucleotide sequence revealed that the virus belongs to the genus Tobamovirus (family Virgaviridae), showing the highest nucleotide sequence identity (49.8%) with cactus mild mottle virus (CMMoV), being indicating that it belongs in the Cactaceae subgroup of tobamoviruses.
This study was funded by project no. IN216317 of UNAM-Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigacion e Innovacion Tecnologica (PAPIIT) and by Grant BIO2017-88321-R from the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER).