Notes on Genus: Tritimovirus

flexuous filaments
flexuous filaments

Type member: Wheat streak mosaic virus

Contents

General Description

This is one of the genera in the family Potyviridae. Like the other genera, it is characterised by its flexuous filamentous particles, inclusion bodies in infected plant cells and by having a polyprotein genome strategy. It differs from most of the others in having mite transmission and from the genus Bymovirus in having a monopartite genome. The viruses in this genus were previously regarded as members of the genus Rymovirus, but have been separated into a new genus because of substantial differences in nucleotide homology and because the vector is a different species (Aceria tulipae). The genus name is derived from Triticum, the genus name of the host of the type member, wheat streak mosaic virus.

Morphology

Virions filamentous, not enveloped, usually flexuous, 680-750 nm long and 12-15 nm in diameter. Symmetry helical with a pitch of 3.4 nm

Virions composed of 5 % nucleic acid and 95 % protein.

Genome

Monopartite, linear, single stranded, positive sense RNA, 9000-10000 nucleotides long. The 3' terminus has a poly(A) tract and the 5' terminus has a genome-linked protein (VPg).

Genus Genomic Organization

Genome organisation appears to be uniform throughout this genus and is similar to other monopartite members of the family Potyviridae. The genome is translated into a single polyprotein, which is subsequently processed into ten products, with the coat protein at the C-terminus. An additional small ORF (PIPO) is generated by frameshifting within the third (P3) cistron.

Type Member Genomic Organization

The genome is translated into a single polyprotein of 344 kDa, from which an estimated ten functional products are produced by proteolytic processing:
P1 protein     putative protease    40 kDa
HC-Pro putative helper component protease     44 kDa
P3 protein unknown function     32 kDa
6K1 unknown function    6 kDa
CI Cylindrical inclusion putative helicase     73 kDa
6K2 unknown function     6 kDa
VPg Genome-linked protein     23 kDa
NIa Nuclear Inclusion putative protease     26 kDa
NIb Nuclear Inclusion putative polymerase     57 kDa
CP coat protein     37 kDa
An additional small ORF (PIPO) is generated by frameshifting within the third (P3) cistron.