Arthropods and the evolution of RNA viruses

Abstract Many viruses of arthropods also infect other organisms including humans, sometimes with devastating consequences. Yet, for the vast diversity of arthropods, their associated viruses remain unexplored. Here, we mined meta-transcriptomes from 711 arthropod species, including insects, arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans, and uncovered more than 1400 previously unknown RNA viruses, representing 822 novel evolutionary groups at a level between species and genus. These newly found viral groups fill major evolutionary gaps within the five branches of RNA viruses, bridging the evolution of viruses infecting early and later diverging eukaryotes. Additionally, co-phylogenetic analysis implies that RNA viruses of arthropods commonly co-evolved with their hosts. Our analyses indicate that arthropods have played a central role in the macroevolution of RNA viruses by serving as reservoirs in which viruses co-evolved with arthropods while being exchanged with a vast diversity of organisms.