Molecular characterization of a new partitivirus, MbPV1, isolated from the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum in China

Mycoviruses from Metarhizium anisopliae have been extensively studied, but their sequences have yet to be deposited in the NCBI database. In the present study, we characterized a new partitivirus obtained from the entomogenous fungus Metarhizium brunneum, named “Metarhizium brunneum partitivirus 1” (MbPV1). The complete genome of MbPV1, determined by metagenomic sequencing, RT-PCR, and RACE, comprised two dsRNA segments of 1,829 bp and 1,720 bp, respectively. Both dsRNAs contained a single open reading frame (ORF), encoding a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and a coat protein (CP), respectively. The sequences of the RdRp and CP showed the highest similarity (61.4% and 44.4% identity, respectively) to those of Colletotrichum eremochloae partitivirus 1 (CePV1), which were obtained from the NCBI database. A phylogenetic tree based on the RdRp sequence showed that MbPV1 clustered with members of the proposed genus “Epsilonpartitivirus”, belonging to family Partitiviridae. Here, we propose that MbPV1 is a member of a new species of the proposed genus “Epsilonpartitivirus”. This is the first sequence data report of a new mycovirus from a member of the genus Metarhizium.