Uncovering Plant Virus Species Forming Novel Provisional Taxonomic Units Related to the Family Benyviridae

Based on analyses of recent open-source data, this paper describes novel horizons in the diversity and taxonomy of beny-like viruses infecting hosts of the plant kingdom (Plantae or Archaeplastida). First, our data expand the known host range of the family Benyviridae to include red algae. Second, our phylogenetic analysis suggests that the evolution of this virus family may have involved cross-kingdom host change events and gene recombination/exchanges between distant taxa. Third, the identification of gene blocks encoding known movement proteins in beny-like RNA viruses infecting non-vascular plants confirms other evidence that plant virus genomic RNAs may have acquired movement proteins simultaneously or even prior to the evolutionary emergence of the plant vascular system. Fourth, novel data on plant virus diversity highlight that molecular evolution gave rise to numerous provisional species of land-plant-infecting viruses, which encode no known potential movement genetic systems.

Automated summary

This paper presents a novel perspective on the diversity and taxonomy of beny-like viruses infecting hosts of the plant kingdom. By analyzing open-source data, the study expands the known host range of the family Benyviridae to include red algae and suggests cross-kingdom host changes and gene recombination/exchanges in the evolution of this virus family. Furthermore, the identification of gene blocks encoding known movement proteins in beny-like RNA viruses infecting non-vascular plants provides evidence of the acquisition of movement proteins before the evolutionary emergence of the plant vascular system. The study also highlights the molecular evolution of land-plant-infecting viruses, which gave rise to numerous provisional species encoding no known potential movement genetic systems.