The genus lolavirus currently comprises only one plant virus from the family Alphaflexiviridae that Lolium latency virus (s. Lolium latent virus , LoLV). The generic name comes from the abbreviation for this type of virus (Lola). The virus, characterized in 2008, showed in sequence analyzes and the structure of its genome structure an assignment to the then family Flexiviridae (now Alphaflexiviridae ), but it was clearly different from the other genera of the family, which is why it was classified in its own monotypical genus Lolavirus .
The unenveloped virions of the LoLV are filamentous with a length of 640 nm and a diameter of about 13 nm. In the electron microscope image they appear almost straight, which reflects the low flexibility of the virions. The virion consists of a helical capsid , which is composed of two capsid proteins (Cp) occurring in the same molar ratio . These two capsid proteins (32 and 29 kDA ) have the same C-terminus , which suggests two different start codons within the same open reading frame (ORF). A single linear molecule of a single-stranded RNA with positive polarity is embedded in the capsid . In the only completely sequenced isolate of the virus (LoLV USA / US1), the genomic RNA is 7674 nucleotides in length . There are probably six different ORFs in the genome, whereby the largest gene segment at the 5 'end (196 codons ) can be assigned to the viral polymerase with segments for a methyltransferase , helicase and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase .
Biological importance
The LoLV infected via virus-containing plant sap different grasses especially the genus Lolium well as individual Dicotyledonous plants such as Nicotiana benthamiana . In the latter, the LoLV causes a locally limited or systemically extensive mosaic disease over the entire aboveground plant parts . The LoLV was detected in grasses from Western Europe and North America.
literature
AM Vaira, CJ Maroon-Lango, J. Hammond: Molecular characterization of Lolium latent virus, proposed type member of a new genus in the family Flexiviridae. Arch. Virol. (2008) 153 (7): pp. 1263-1270 PMID 18509590
AMQ King, MJ Adams, EB Carstens, EJ Lefkowitz (eds.): Virus Taxonomy. Ninth Report of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. Amsterdam 2012 ISBN 978-0-12-384684-6 pp. 909f
