Strain Mesorhizobium sp.CCNWGX035:A Stress-Tolerant Isolate from Glycyrrhiza glabra Displaying a Wide Host Range of Nodulation

Thirty-nine rhizobial isolates were isolated from the root nodules of Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Glyeyrrhiza glabra, growing in the arid and semiarid regions of northwestern China, to test their taxonomic position and stress tolerance and to select one promising putative inoeulant strain for further studies. On the basis of 113 physiological and biochemical characteristics, the isolates were clustered into three groups. One isolate CCNWGX035 was found to have high tolerance to NaC1, pH, and temperature. By sequencing the 16S rDNA, isolate CCNWGX035 was placed in genus Mesorhizobium. Nodulation tests demonstrated that the isolate not only formed nitrogen-fixing nodules on its original host plant Glyeyrrhiza glabra, but also on Sophora vieiifolia, Lotus cornieulatus, Trifolium repens, Melilotus suaveolens, and Sophora alopecuroides. On the basis of sequence analysis of the nodA gene, isolate CCNWGX035 was closely related to strains of the genus Mesorhizobium, exhibiting some novel characteristics of root nodule bacteria.

Cross-species transmission and host range genes in poxviruses

The persistent epidemic of human mpox, caused by mpox virus (MPXV), raises concerns about the future spread ofMPXV and other poxviruses. MPXV is a typical zoonotic virus which can infect human and cause smallpox-likesymptoms. MPXV belongs to the Poxviridae family, which has a relatively broad host range from arthropods tovertebrates. Cross-species transmission of poxviruses among different hosts has been frequently reported andresulted in numerous epidemics. Poxviruses have a complex linear double-strand DNA genome that encodeshundreds of proteins. Genes related to the host range of poxvirus are called host range genes (HRGs). This reviewbriefly introduces the taxonomy, phylogeny and hosts of poxviruses, and then comprehensively summarizes thecurrent knowledge about the cross-species transmission of poxviruses. In particular, the HRGs of poxvirus aredescribed and their impacts on viral host range are discussed in depth. We hope that this review will provide acomprehensive perspective about the current progress of researches on cross-species transmission and HRGvariation of poxviruses, serving as a valuable reference for academic studies and disease control in the future.

不同症状类型苜蓿病毒病AMV病原检测及其寄主范围测定

为明确采自田间不同症状类型苜蓿病毒病病样中苜蓿花叶病毒(alfalfa mosaic virus,AMV)的带毒情况、症状表现与叶绿素含量的相关性及AMV的寄主范围,本试验通过田间调查采样、症状归类、丙酮乙醇混合液法和双抗体夹心酶联免疫吸附测定(DAS-ELISA)法对不同病样的叶绿素和AMV含量进行测定和检测,并对提纯至不同症状类型病样中AMV对9科32种植物的致病性进行测定。结果表明田间苜蓿病毒病病样有轻花叶、重花叶、叶片边缘褪绿黄化型和叶片畸形皱缩花叶矮化型4种症状类型,均带有AMV,且叶绿素含量、AMV含量与症状表现之间具有正相关性,症状表现最严重的叶片畸形皱缩花叶矮化型病样的叶绿素a、b、总叶绿素含量均比对照低58.00%以上,类胡萝卜素含量比对照高134.06%,AMV含量最高,为252.96 pg·mL^(-1);寄主范围测定表明AMV可侵染7科27种植物,对西葫芦致病性最强,症状表现为局部枯斑,30 d时AMV浓度为316.19 pg·mL^(-1)。

Avian hepatitis B viruses： Molecular and cellular biology, phylogenesis, and host tropism

The human hepatitis B virus （HBV） and the duck hepatitis B virus （DHBV） share several fundamental features. Both viruses have a partially double-stranded DNA genome that is replicated via a RNA intermediate and the coding open reading frames （ORFs） overlap extensively. In addition, the genomic and structural organization, as well as replication and biological characteristics, are very similar in both viruses. Host of the key features of hepadnaviral infection were first discovered in the DHBV model system and subsequently confirmed for HBV. There are, however, several differences between human HBV and DHBV. This review will focus on the molecular and cellular biology, evolution, and host adaptation of the avian hepatitis B viruses with particular emphasis on DHBV as a model system.

Biological and molecular characterization of tomato brown rugose fruit virus and development of quadruplex RT-PCR detection

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus(ToBRFV) is a novel tobamovirus firstly reported in 2015 and poses a severe threat to the tomato industry. So far, it has spread to 10 countries in America, Asia, and Europe. In 2019, ToBRFV was identified in Shandong Province(ToBRFV-SD), China. In this study, it was shown that ToBRFV-SD induced mild to severe mosaic and blistering on leaves, necrosis on sepals and pedicles, and deformation, yellow spots, and brown rugose necrotic lesions on fruits. ToBRFV-SD induced distinct symptoms on plants of tomato, Capsicum annumm, and Nicotiana benthamiana, and caused latent infection on plants of Solanum tuberosum, Solanum melongena, and N. tabacum cv. Zhongyan 102. All the 50 tomato cultivars tested were highly sensitive to ToBRFV-SD. The complete genomic sequence of ToBRFV-SD shared the highest nucleotide and amino acid identities with isolate IL from Israel. In the phylogenetic tree constructed with the complete genomic sequence, all the ToBRFV isolates were clustered together and formed a sister branch with tobacco mosaic virus(TMV). Furthermore, a quadruplex RT-PCR system was developed that could differentiate ToBRFV from other economically important viruses affecting tomatoes, such as TMV, tomato mosaic virus, and tomato spotted wilt virus. The findings of this study enhance our understanding of the biological and molecular characteristics of ToBRFV and provide an efficient and effective detection method for multiple infections, which is helpful in the management of ToBRFV.

Colletotrichum species and complexes:geographic distribution,host range and conservation status

The taxonomy of the genus Colletotrichum has undergone tremendous changes over the last decade,with over 200 species being currently recognised and species complexes being informally used to cluster those species.Many of these species are important plant pathogens,some rather polyphagous and others host-specific,but several occur seldomly and some may in fact be ecologically endangered.Based mainly on literature from the past decade,in this work we review the occurrence,geographic distribution and host spectrum of currently recognised Colletotrichum species under phylogenetic,pathologi-cal/agronomic and ecological perspectives,providing a list arranged by Colletotrichum species and species complexes.A total of 257 species are listed and grouped into 15 species complexes.In this work we have recorded 1353 unique host species-Colletotrichum species association records from 720 hosts,with the Fabaceae as the family with higher number of hosts(52 host species)but with the Rosaceae as the family with the highest number of host species-Colletotrichum species association records(118 association records).According to occurrence data,88 species are common in nature,128 were considered as data deficient and 41 are threatened,some of which are likely extinct from nature and preserved only in cul-ture collections.Several species are relevant plant pathogens,in some cases geographically confined and thus of potential quarantine relevance.Based on the major changes that occurred on Colletotrichum taxonomy over the last decade,this work provides a comprehensive overview of occurrence data of Colletotrichum species,compiling host range and geographical distribution,with relevance for plant pathology and conservation mycology.The current taxonomic framework in Colle-totrichum is revealing numerous species but poses challenges to the employment of standard criteria for the evaluation of biological conservation of these fungi.We advocate that conservation mycology and taxonomy should find common routes simultaneously enabling the correct delimitation of species of Colletotrichum and the implementation of feasible criteria for the evaluation of conservation.The employment of new technologies,such whole genome sequencing(WGS),will help and support the description of new species and to gain a better understanding of the genetic bases of speciation processes.

The Biology of Chilo Iridescent Virus

Chilo iridescent virus (CIV) is the type species for genus Iridovirus, and belongs to the family Iridoviridae. Since the discovery of CIV in 1966, many attempts were made to elucidate the viral genome structure. The virions contain a single linear ds DNA molecule that is circularly permuted and terminally redundant. The genome of CIV has been entirely sequenced. The CIV virion consists of an unusual three-layer structure containing an outer proteinaceous capsid, an intermediate lipid membrane, and a core DNA-protein complex containing the genome. CIV has a broad host spectrum and has, in general, a limited mortality effect on its hosts. Up to now there have been several studies about CIV describing its structure, ecology, and molecular biology. In this review study we present all these studies together to describe the CIV.

Tomato mottle mosaic virus: Characterization, resistance gene effectiveness, and quintuplex RT-PCR detection system

Tomato mottle mosaic virus(ToMMV), an economically important species of the genus Tobamovirus, causes significant loss in yield and quality of tomato fruits. Here, we identified the Shandong isolate of ToMMV(ToMMV-SD) collected from symptomatic tomato fruits in Weifang, Shandong Province of China. ToMMV-SD caused symptoms such as severe mosaic, mottling, and necrosis of tomato leaves, yellow spot and necrotic lesions on tomato fruits. The obtained full genome of ToMMV-SD was 6 399 nucleotides(accession number MW373515) and had the highest identity of 99.5% with that of isolate SC13-051 from the United States of America at the genomic level. The infectious clone of ToMMV-SD was constructed and induced clear mosaic and necrotic symptoms onto Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Several commercial tomato cultivars, harboring Tm-2~2 resistance gene, and pepper cultivars, containing L resistance gene, were susceptible to ToMMV-SD. Plants of Solanum melongena(eggplant) and Brassica pekinensis(napa cabbage) showed mottling symptoms, while N. tabacum cv. Zhongyan 100 displayed latent infection. ToMMV-SD did not infect plants of N. tabacum cv. Xanthi NN, Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis(bok choy), Raphanus sativus(radish), Vigna unguiculata cv. Yuanzhong 28-2(cowpea), or Tm-2~2 transgenic N. benthamiana. A quintuplex RT-PCR system differentiated ToMMV from tomato mosaic virus, tomato brown rugose fruit virus, tobacco mosaic virus, and tomato spotted wilt virus, with the threshold amount of 0.02 pg. These results highlight the threat posed by ToMMV to tomato and pepper cultivation and offer an efficient detection system for the simultaneous detection of four tobamoviruses and tomato spotted wilt virus infecting tomato plants in the field.

Overview of Strain Characterization in Relation to Serological and Molecular Detection of Citrus tristeza Closterovirus

Tristeza is a devastating viral disease in all the citrus growing countries throughout the world and has killed millions of citrus trees in severely affected orchards.The citrus species grafted on sour orange rootstock are affected by this disease.Predominantly,the sweet orange,grapefruit and lime trees grafted on sour orange exhibit severe symptoms like quick decline,vein clearing,pin holing,bark scaling and degeneration leading to variable symptoms.Symptomatic expression of Citrus tristeza virus(CTV)in different hosts has been attributed to virus isolates which are from severe to mild.Different serological and molecular assays have been deployed to differentiate the strains of CTV.Citrus tristeza virus is diversified towards its strains on the basis of biological,serological and molecular characterization.Phenotypic expression is due to genetic alteration and different molecular basis have now been adopted for strain differentiation.This review will give a brief idea about the different CTV isolates,their characterization based on nucleic acid and serological assays.Different methods along with salient features for strain characterization has also been reviewed.This review will also open the new aspects towards formulation of management strategies through different detection techniques.

Is Gain of Function a Reliable Tool for Establishing Sars-Cov-2 Origin?

The present opinion article, while dealing with the debated origin of “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2” (SARS-CoV-2), the betacoronavirus responsible for “Corona Virus Disease-2019” (COVID-19), provides a speculative insight into the so-called “gain of function” (GOF), a process resulting in the acquirement of new phenotypic features on behalf of the viral pathogen. More in detail, a GOF-related phenomenon leading to increased SARS-CoV-2 virulence and/or transmissibility—as clearly exemplified by the “delta” and the “omicron” as well as by other “variants of concern”—would not necessarily imply that viral genetic manipulations made in the laboratory are its exclusive drivers, provided that GOF may also occur as a consequence of a natural selection process. In order to gain a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 GOF and GOF-associated phenomena, an in-depth knowledge of the complex viral-host interaction dynamics is absolutely needed, while also paying special attention to the human-animal-viral ecological interfaces within an “ad hoc” multidisciplinary, “holistic”, scientific evidence-based and “One Health”-based approach.

Host Reaction of Watermelon mosaic virus Isolates Infecting Melon from Different Geographical Origins in Xinjiang of China

Watermelon mosaic virus(WMV) is one of the major viruses infecting cucurbit crops worldwide. Although WMV is very common worldwide,little is known about the biological traits of WMV isolates from China. Hence, this study aimed to characterize 11 WMV isolates infecting melon from different geographical origins in Xinjiang based on experimental hosts. Sap inoculation of the 11 WMV isolates onto a range of 13 plant species revealed some differences compared to the WMV isolates collected from other countries. Our results showed that, overall, there were no obvious correlations of host responses to inoculation with WMV isolates from different geographical origins. However, isolate JS-1 caused mild mosaic on Cucurbita moschata, whereas the remaining 10 isolates were asymptomatic on this plant species. Moreover, in Datura stramonium, isolate TYG-1 induced mosaic, whereas the remaining 10 isolates did not infect this species. All isolates infected systemically Cucurbita pepo and Cucumis melo plants, causing severe symptoms. All isolates did not induce any symptoms on Cucumis sativus, but the virus could be detected using RT-PCR. Additionally, all isolates infected systemically Nicotiana tabacum plants, causing mild mosaics. Chenopodium amaranticolor and Chenopodium quinoa reacted to all isolates by chlorotic local lesions in the inoculated leaves, and the virus was detected in the inoculated leaves using RT-PCR. In addition, the attempts to transmit the isolates to Luffa cylindrica, Vicia faba, Phaseolus vulgaris, Vigna unguiculata or Pisum sativum failed as confirmed by negative RT-PCR. Our results would be useful for understanding the biological variability of WMV.

Isolation of a feline-derived feline panleukopenia virus with an A300P substitution in the VP2 protein and confrmation of its pathogenicity in dogs

Feline panleukopenia virus(FPV)is a single-stranded DNA virus that can infect cats and cause feline panleukopenia,which is a highly contagious and fatal disease in felines.The sequence of FPV is highly variable,and mutations in the amino acids of its capsid protein play crucial roles in altering viral virulence,immunogenicity,host selection,and other abilities.In this study,the epidemiology of FPV was studied using 746 gastrointestinal swab samples derived from cats that presented gastrointestinal symptoms specifcally,diarrhea or vomiting during the period spanning from 2018 to 2022.The overall prevalence of FPV-positive patients among these samples was determined to be 45.4%.Capsid(virion)protein 2(VP2)gene of each FPV-positive sample was sequenced and amplifed,yielding 65 VP2 sequences.Among them,six VP2 gene sequences were detected in the majority of the samples test positive for FPV,and these positive samples originated from a diverse range of geographical locations.These isolates were named FPV-6,FPV-10,FPV-15,FPV-251,FPV-271 and FPV-S2.Additionally,the substitution of Ala300Pro(A300P)in VP2 was detected for the frst time in feline-derived FPV(FPV-251).FPV-251 isolate,with this substitution in VP2 protein,exhibited stable proliferative capacity in Madin-Darby canine kidney(MDCK)cells and A72 cells.FPV-271 was selected as the FPV control isolate due to its single amino acid diference from VP2 protein of FPV-251 at position 300(FPV-271 has alanine,while FPV-251 has proline).After oral infection,both FPV-251 and FPV-271 isolates caused feline panleukopenia,which is characterized by clinical signs of enterocolitis.However,FPV-251 can infect dogs through the oral route and cause gastrointestinal(GI)symptoms with lesions in the intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes(MLNs)of infected dogs.This is the frst report on the presence of an A300P substitution in VP2 protein of feline-derived FPV.Additionally,FPV isolate with a substitution of A300P at VP2 protein demonstrated efcient replication capabilities in canine cell lines and the ability to infect dogs.

Stimulants and donors promote megaplasmid pND6-2 horizontal gene transfer in activated sludge

The activated sludge process is characterized by high microbial density and diversity,both of which facilitate antibiotic resistance gene transfer.Many studies have suggested that antibiotic and non-antibiotic drugs at sub-inhibitory concentrations are major inducers of conjugative gene transfer.The self-transmissible plasmid pND6-2 is one of the endogenous plasmids harbored in Pseudomonas putida ND6,which can trigger the transfer of another co-occurring naphthalene-degrading plasmid pND6-1.Therefore,to illustrate the potential influence of stimulants on conjugative transfer of pND6-2,we evaluated the effects of four antibiotics (ampicillin,gentamycin,kanamycin,and tetracycline) and naphthalene,on the conjugal transfer efficiency of pND6-2 by filter-mating experiment.Our findings demonstrated that all stimulants within an optimal dose promoted conjugative transfer of pND6-2from Pseudomonas putida GKND6 to P.putida KT2440,with tetracycline being the most effective (100μg/L and 10μg/L),as it enhanced pND6-2-mediated intra-genera transfer by approximately one hundred-fold.Subsequently,seven AS reactors were constructed with the addition of donors and different stimulants to further elucidate the conjugative behavior of pND6-2 in natural environment.The stimulants positively affected the conjugal process of pND6-2,while donors reshaped the host abundance in the sludge.This was likely because stimulant addition enhanced the expression levels of conjugation transfer-related genes.Furthermore,Blastocatella and Chitinimonas were identified as the potential receptors of plasmid pND6-2,which was not affected by donor types.These findings demonstrate the positive role of sub-inhibitory stimulant treatment on pND6-2 conjugal transfer and the function of donors in re-shaping the host spectrum of pND6-2.