Tepovirus, a novel genus in the family Betaflexiviridae

Tepovirus is a new monotypic genus of plant viruses typified by potato virus T (PVT), a virus with helically constructed filamentous particles that are 640 nm long, previously classified as unassigned species in the family Betaflexiviridae. Virions have a single-stranded positive-sense polyadenylated RNA genome that is 6.5 kb in size, and a single type of coat protein with a size of 24 kDa. The viral genome contains three slightly overlapping ORFs encoding, respectively, the replication-related proteins (ORF1), a putative movement protein of the 30 K type (ORF2) and the coat protein (ORF3). Its structure and organization (number and order of genes) resembles that of trichoviruses and of citrus leaf blotch virus (CLBV, genus Citrivirus) but has a smaller size. Besides potato, the primary host, PVT can experimentally infect herbaceous hosts by mechanical inoculation. No vector is known, and transmission is through propagating material (tubers), seeds and pollen. PVT has a number of biological, physical and molecular properties that differentiate it from betaflexiviruses with a 30K-type movement protein. It is phylogenetically distant from all these viruses, but least so from grapevine virus A (GVA), the type member of the genus Vitivirus, with which it groups in trees constructed using the sequences of all of the genes.