Sequence analysis and genomic organization of a novel chuvirus, Tàiyuán leafhopper virus

A novel unsegmented chuvirus was found in a leafhopper (Psammotettix alienus) and tentatively named “Tàiyuán leafhopper virus” (TYLeV). The full genome of TYLeV is 14,670 nucleotides in length and includes four ORFs encoding glycoprotein, nucleocapsid protein, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and an uncharacterized protein, respectively. These genomic features are similar to those of the chuvirus Scaldis River bee virus, but the virus is highly divergent from known chuviruses and other members in the order Mononegavirales, with amino acid sequence identities of only 13.6–33% for the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). On the basis of genomic features, phylogenetic analysis and comparisons of RdRp sequences, we suggest that this virus is a member of a new species of chuvirus in the proposed genus Mivirus.