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Double-stranded RNA viruses of protozoa of the genus Eimeria: characterization of genomic structure and evolutionary origins

Grant number: 22/16393-0
Support Opportunities:Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
Effective date (Start): February 01, 2023
Effective date (End): January 31, 2024
Field of knowledge:Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
Principal Investigator:Arthur Gruber
Grantee:Igor Custodio dos Santos
Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Viral dsRNA genomes from different families have been reported in fungi and protozoa. In the case of the Totiviridae family, viruses present an icosahedral capsid and a genome varying from 5.0 to 6.5 kb with two ORFs encoding a capsid protein and an RNA-directed RNA polymerase (RDRP). These viruses have been found in different protozoa such as Giardia, Leishmania, Trichomonas, Babesia and Eimeria, as well as in fungi such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Helminthosporium victoriae and, more recently, in arthropods and molluscs. Viruses of the Amalgaviridae family have mostly been recognized in plants but also in fungi and contain a dsRNA genome of about 3.5 kb with two overlapping ORFs. No viral particles have been found for these viruses, with ORF2 encoding an RDRP and ORF1 possibly codifying a replication complex factor. In the genus Eimeria, dsRNA viruses were detected in E. acervulina, E. brunetti, E. maxima, E. necatrix and E. tenella, species that infect domestic fowl, E. nieschulzi in rat and E. stiedai in rabbit. Our group detected and sequenced a total of five viral genomes of 5.5-6.0 kb (Group 1) from three species of chicken and rabbit Eimeria. We also sequenced three genomes originating from bands of 4.0-4.5 kb (Group 2), derived from three species of chicken Eimeria. Similarity searches and phylogenetic analyzes show that Group 1 viruses belong to the Totiviridae family, wheras Group 2 viruses have little similarity with Amalgaviridae family viruses. In the present project, we intend to continue this study and carry out analyzes of the genomic structure of these viruses and searches for pseudoknots and ribosomal slippery site structures, associated with the ribosomal frameshifting mechanism. We also intend to perform phylogenetic analyzes of these viruses with publicly available sequences to elucidate the evolutionary origins of these two groups of viruses. Finally, we intend to perform 3D-structure predictions of the ORF1 protein from Group 2 viruses to elucidate its possible function.

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