Dicistroviridae

Dicistroviruses
Virus classification
Group:	Group IV ((+)ssRNA)
Order:	Picornavirales
Family:	Dicistroviridae
Genera
Aparavirus Cripavirus

The Dicistroviridae are a family of Group IV (positive-sense ssRNA) insect-infecting viruses. Some of the insects commonly infected by dicistroviruses include aphids, leafhoppers, flies, bees, ants, silkworms.

Taxonomy

Although many dicistroviruses were initially placed in the Picornaviridae they have since been reclassified into their own family. The name (Dicistro) is derived from the characteristic di-cistronic arrangement of the genome.

This family is a member of the 'picornavirus-like superfamily' (Comoviridae, Iflavirus, Picornaviridae, Potyviridae and Sequiviridae). Within this superfamily the gene order is the gene order of the non-structural proteins Hel(helicase)-Pro(protease)-RdRp(polymerase). The Dicistroviridae can be distinguished from the members of the taxa by the location of the their genome's organisation: the structural proteins are located at the 3' end rather than the 5' end (as found in Iflavirus, Picornaviridae and Sequiviridae) and by having 2 genomic segments rather than a single one (as in the Comoviridae).

This family has been divided into two genera and a number of as yet unclassified species.

• Genus Cripavirus:
  • Aphid lethal paralysis virus
  • Black queen cell virus
  • Cricket paralysis virus (type species)
  • Drosophila C virus
  • Himetobi P virus
  • Homalodisca coagulata virus-1
  • Plautia stali intestine virus
  • Rhopalosiphum padi virus
  • Triatoma virus

• Genus: Aparavirus
  • Acute bee paralysis virus (type species)
  • Israeli acute paralysis virus
  • Kashmir bee virus
  • Solenopsis invicta virus 1
  • Taura syndrome virus

Other species:

• Cloudy wing virus
• Blackberry virus Z
• Acheta domesticus virus
• Ervivirus
• Mud crab dicistrovirus

Notable species

• Aphid lethal paralysis virus
• Black queen cell virus – a Western honey bee virus
• silkworm virus
• Cricket paralysis virus
• Drosophila C virus
• Himetobi P virus
• Taura syndrome virus
• Triatoma virus
• sharpshooter virus
• Red imported fire ant virus

RNA structural elements

Many of the Dicistroviridae genomes contains structured RNA elements. For example, the Cripaviruses have an internal ribosome entry site,^[1] which mimics a Met-tRNA and is used in the initiation of translation.^[2]

References

1. ^ Kanamori, Y; Nakashima N (2001). "A tertiary structure model of the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) for methionine-independent initiation of translation". RNA 7 (2): 266–274. doi:10.1017/S1355838201001741. PMC 1370084. PMID 11233983. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1370084. 
2. ^ Malys N, McCarthy JEG (2010). "Translation initiation: variations in the mechanism can be anticipated". Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 68 (6): 991–1003. doi:10.1007/s00018-010-0588-z. PMID 21076851. 

• Hunter, WB, Katsar, CS, Chaparro, JX. 2006. Molecular analysis of capsid protein of Homalodisca coagulata virus-1, a new leafhopper-infecting virus from the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca coagulata. Journal of Insect Science 6:31
• Hunnicutt, LE, Hunter, WB, Cave RD, Powell, CA, Mozoruk, JJ. 2006. Genome sequence and molecular characterization of Homalodisca coagulata virus-1, a novel virus discovered in the glassy-winged sharpshooter (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). Virology 350: 67-78
• Valles, SM, Strong, CA, Dang, PM, Hunter, WB, Pereira, RM, Oi, DH, Shapiro, AM, Williams, DF. 2004. A picorna-like virus from the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta: initial discovery, genome sequence, and characterization. Virology 328: 151-157

External links

• Viralzone: Dicistroviridae