Genome sequence of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum hypovirulence-associated DNA virus-1 found in the fungus Penicillium olsonii isolated from Washington state, USA

Authors: FU, MIN - Washington State University; PAPPU, HANU - Washington State University; Vandemark, George; Chen, Weidong

Submitted to: Microbiology Resource Announcements
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2022
Publication Date: 3/14/2022
Citation: Fu, M., Pappu, H., Vandemark, G.J., Chen, W. 2022. Genome sequence of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum hypovirulence-associated DNA virus-1 found in the fungus Penicillium olsonii isolated from Washington state, USA. Microbiology Resource Announcements. 11(4). Article e00019-22. https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00019-22.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00019-22

Interpretive Summary: The fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum causes the destructive white mold disease on many economically important crops. Management of white mold disease is challenging because there is a lack of resistant crop varieties, and there are high costs and technical difficulties associated with applying fungicides to disease sites that are located under crop canopies. Biological control of white mold disease caused by S. sclerotiorum is a promising option but one that requires more study. One way to use biological control is to exploit viruses, called ‘mycoviruses’, which infect fungal pathogens such as S. sclerotiorum. This study reports a mycovirus ‘ Sclerotinia sclerotiorum hypovirulence-associated DNA virus (SsHADV-1_PO)’ that was identified in the fungus Penicillium olsonii isolated from Washington state, USA. SsHADV-1 was previously reported from S. sclerotiorum and has been subsequently identified from a wide range of biological and environmental samples in several countries. This is the first report of the mycovirus SsHADV-1 in a fungus other than Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. We determined the DNA sequence of the virus, which will help us understand how the virus reduces the ability of fungi to cause diseases of plants.

Technical Abstract: In this study, we report the discovery of a Sclerotinia sclerotiorum hypovirulence-associated DNA virus-1 (SsHADV-1) viral isolate, named SsHADV1_PO, from the fungus Penicillium olsonii isolated from Washington state, USA. The genome of SsHADV1_PO is 2,166 bp and encodes two open reading frames with more than 99% similarity to SsHADV-1. Although SsHADV-1 has been detected in a wide range of ecological and biological samples in several countries, this is the first report of the mycovirus SsHADV-1 in a fungus other than S. sclerotiorum. This genome sequence will contribute to understanding how SsHADV-1 functions to attenuate the ability of fungal pathogens to cause diseases of plants.