Alpha- and Betagymnorhavirus: two new genera of gymnosperm-infecting viruses in the family Rhabdoviridae, subfamily Betarhabdovirinae

Abstract

The family Rhabdoviridae includes viruses with a negative-sense RNA genome. This family is divided into four subfamilies, and until recently, the subfamily Betarhabdovirinae, encompassing all plant-associated rhabdoviruses, was further divided into six genera. Here, we report the creation of two new genera within the subfamily Betarhabdovirinae – Alphagymnorhavirus and Betagymnorhavirus – to include recently described gymnosperm-associated viruses. The genus Alphagymnorhavirus includes nine species, while the genus Betagymnorhavirus includes only one species. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that these viruses form two well-supported clades that are clustered with the varicosaviruses, which have bisegmented genomes. In contrast, the 10 viruses included in the newly created genera have the distinctive feature that they have an unsegmented genome encoding five or six proteins. The creation of the genera Alphagymnorhavirus and Betagymnorhavirus has been ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV).