Enrique Moriones

Bio: Enrique Moriones is an academic researcher from Spanish National Research Council. The author has contributed to research in topics: Begomovirus & Tomato yellow leaf curl virus. The author has an hindex of 46, co-authored 125 publications receiving 7578 citations. Previous affiliations of Enrique Moriones include University of Málaga & University of Arizona.

Geminivirus strain demarcation and nomenclature

Abstract: Geminivirus taxonomy and nomenclature is growing in complexity with the number of genomic sequences deposited in sequence databases Taxonomic and nomenclatural updates are published at regular intervals (Fauquet et al in Arch Virol 145:1743–1761, 2000, Arch Virol 148:405–421, 2003) A system to standardize virus names, and corresponding guidelines, has been proposed (Fauquet et al in Arch Virol 145:1743–1761, 2000) This system is now followed by a large number of geminivirologists in the world, making geminivirus nomenclature more transparent and useful In 2003, due to difficulties inherent in species identification, the ICTV Geminiviridae Study Group proposed new species demarcation criteria, the most important of which being an 89% nucleotide (nt) identity threshold between full-length DNA-A component nucleotide sequences for begomovirus species This threshold has been utilised since with general satisfaction More recently, an article has been published to clarify the terminology used to describe virus entities below the species level [5] The present publication is proposing demarcation criteria and guidelines to classify and name geminiviruses below the species level Using the Clustal V algorithm (DNAStar MegAlign software), the distribution of pairwise sequence comparisons, for pairs of sequences below the species taxonomic level, identified two peaks: one at 85–94% nt identity that is proposed to correspond to “strain” comparisons and one at 92–100% identity that corresponds to “variant” comparisons Guidelines for descriptors for each of these levels are proposed to standardize nomenclature under the species level In this publication we review the status of geminivirus species and strain demarcation as well as providing updated isolate descriptors for a total of 672 begomovirus isolates As a consequence, we have revised the status of some virus isolates to classify them as “strains”, whereas several others previously classified as “strains” have been upgraded to “species” In all other respects, the classification system has remained robust, and we therefore propose to continue using it An updated list of all geminivirus isolates and a phylogenetic tree with one representative isolate per species are provided

Revision of Begomovirus taxonomy based on pairwise sequence comparisons

Abstract: Viruses of the genus Begomovirus (family Geminiviridae) are emergent pathogens of crops throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. By virtue of having a small DNA genome that is easily cloned, and due to the recent innovations in cloning and low-cost sequencing, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of available begomovirus genome sequences. Even so, most of the available sequences have been obtained from cultivated plants and are likely a small and phylogenetically unrepresentative sample of begomovirus diversity, a factor constraining taxonomic decisions such as the establishment of operationally useful species demarcation criteria. In addition, problems in assigning new viruses to established species have highlighted shortcomings in the previously recommended mechanism of species demarcation. Based on the analysis of 3,123 full-length begomovirus genome (or DNA-A component) sequences available in public databases as of December 2012, a set of revised guidelines for the classification and nomenclature of begomoviruses are proposed. The guidelines primarily consider a) genus-level biological characteristics and b) results obtained using a standardized classification tool, Sequence Demarcation Tool, which performs pairwise sequence alignments and identity calculations. These guidelines are consistent with the recently published recommendations for the genera Mastrevirus and Curtovirus of the family Geminiviridae. Genome-wide pairwise identities of 91 % and 94 % are proposed as the demarcation threshold for begomoviruses belonging to different species and strains, respectively. Procedures and guidelines are outlined for resolving conflicts that may arise when assigning species and strains to categories wherever the pairwise identity falls on or very near the demarcation threshold value.

ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Geminiviridae.

Abstract: The geminiviruses are a family of small, non-enveloped viruses with single-stranded, circular DNA genomes of 2500–5200 bases. Geminiviruses are transmitted by various types of insect (whiteflies, leafhoppers, treehoppers and aphids). Members of the genus Begomovirus are transmitted by whiteflies, those in the genera Becurtovirus, Curtovirus, Grablovirus, Mastrevirus and Turncurtovirus are transmitted by specific leafhoppers, the single member of the genus Topocuvirus is transmitted by a treehopper and one member of the genus Capulavirus is transmitted by an aphid. Geminiviruses are plant pathogens causing economically important diseases in most tropical and subtropical regions of the world. This is a summary of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Report on the taxonomy of the Geminiviridae which is available at www.ictv.global/report/geminiviridae.

Emerging infectious diseases of plants: pathogen pollution, climate change and agrotechnology drivers

Abstract: Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) pose threats to conservation and public health. Here, we apply the definition of EIDs used in the medical and veterinary fields to botany and highlight a series of emerging plant diseases. We include EIDs of cultivated and wild plants, some of which are of significant conservation concern. The underlying cause of most plant EIDs is the anthropogenic introduction of parasites, although severe weather events are also important drivers of disease emergence. Much is known about crop plant EIDs, but there is little information about wild-plant EIDs, suggesting that their impact on conservation is underestimated. We conclude with recommendations for improving strategies for the surveillance and control of plant EIDs.

Evolution and Taxonomy of Positive-Strand RNA Viruses: Implications of Comparative Analysis of Amino Acid Sequences

Abstract: Despite the rapid mutational change that is typical of positive-strand RNA viruses, enzymes mediating the replication and expression of virus genomes contain arrays of conserved sequence motifs. Proteins with such motifs include RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, putative RNA helicase, chymotrypsin-like and papain-like proteases, and methyltransferases. The genes for these proteins form partially conserved modules in large subsets of viruses. A concept of the virus genome as a relatively evolutionarily stable "core" of housekeeping genes accompanied by a much more flexible "shell" consisting mostly of genes coding for virion components and various accessory proteins is discussed. Shuffling of the "shell" genes including genome reorganization and recombination between remote groups of viruses is considered to be one of the major factors of virus evolution. Multiple alignments for the conserved viral proteins were constructed and used to generate the respective phylogenetic trees. Based primarily on the tentative phylogeny for the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, which is the only universally conserved protein of positive-strand RNA viruses, three large classes of viruses, each consisting of distinct smaller divisions, were delineated. A strong correlation was observed between this grouping and the tentative phylogenies for the other conserved proteins as well as the arrangement of genes encoding these proteins in the virus genome. A comparable correlation with the polymerase phylogeny was not found for genes encoding virion components or for genome expression strategies. It is surmised that several types of arrangement of the "shell" genes as well as basic mechanisms of expression could have evolved independently in different evolutionary lineages. The grouping revealed by phylogenetic analysis may provide the basis for revision of virus classification, and phylogenetic taxonomy of positive-strand RNA viruses is outlined. Some of the phylogenetically derived divisions of positive-strand RNA viruses also include double-stranded RNA viruses, indicating that in certain cases the type of genome nucleic acid may not be a reliable taxonomic criterion for viruses. Hypothetical evolutionary scenarios for positive-strand RNA viruses are proposed. It is hypothesized that all positive-strand RNA viruses and some related double-stranded RNA viruses could have evolved from a common ancestor virus that contained genes for RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, a chymotrypsin-related protease that also functioned as the capsid protein, and possibly an RNA helicase.

SDT: A Virus Classification Tool Based on Pairwise Sequence Alignment and Identity Calculation

Abstract: The perpetually increasing rate at which viral full-genome sequences are being determined is creating a pressing demand for computational tools that will aid the objective classification of these genome sequences. Taxonomic classification approaches that are based on pairwise genetic identity measures are potentially highly automatable and are progressively gaining favour with the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). There are, however, various issues with the calculation of such measures that could potentially undermine the accuracy and consistency with which they can be applied to virus classification. Firstly, pairwise sequence identities computed based on multiple sequence alignments rather than on multiple independent pairwise alignments can lead to the deflation of identity scores with increasing dataset sizes. Also, when gap-characters need to be introduced during sequence alignments to account for insertions and deletions, methodological variations in the way that these characters are introduced and handled during pairwise genetic identity calculations can cause high degrees of inconsistency in the way that different methods classify the same sets of sequences. Here we present Sequence Demarcation Tool (SDT), a free user-friendly computer program that aims to provide a robust and highly reproducible means of objectively using pairwise genetic identity calculations to classify any set of nucleotide or amino acid sequences. SDT can produce publication quality pairwise identity plots and colour-coded distance matrices to further aid the classification of sequences according to ICTV approved taxonomic demarcation criteria. Besides a graphical interface version of the program for Windows computers, command-line versions of the program are available for a variety of different operating systems (including a parallel version for cluster computing platforms).

Cucumber Mosaic Virus

Abstract: Publisher Summary Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), the type member of the cucumovirus group, was first reported in 1916 as the causal agent of a disease of cucumber and muskmelon in Michigan and cucumber in New York. Since then, CMV has been found in most countries of the world, predominantly in the temperate zones, but increasingly more often in the tropical countries. CMV has the largest host range of any virus. The number of plant species identified as hosts for CMV has increased steadily over the past 60 years. The highlights of the more recent research include the following: (1) the complete nucleotide sequence of the genome of three strains of CMV has been determined, as well as nucleotide sequences of individual RNAs of eight other CMV strains, (2) the CMV replicase has been purified to homogeneity, and it functions in vitro to synthesize CMV RNA de novo , (3) infectious transcripts have been synthesized from full-length cDNA clones of the three strains of CMV, (4) these biologically active cDNAs are being used to map sequences involved in replication, movement, pathogenesis, resistance, and vector transmission. Biologically active cDNA clones of the satellite RNAs of CMV have been produced in seven laboratories and sequences involved in replication and pathogenicity have/are being identified, (5) finally, transgenic plants have been produced expressing either the CMV coat protein gene or satellite RNA sequences that show to protect such plants from infection by CMV. This chapter, while focusing on the more recent developments in CMV biology and biochemistry, also covers some of the same ground albeit in brief. The chapter presents a comprehensive review that can be used as a reference work for general virologists and plant pathologists, as well as those specializing in the molecular biology of CMV and/or other multicomponent plant viruses.