Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Metagenomic of Liver Tissue Identified at Least Two Genera of Totivirus-Like in Molossus molossus Bats

Roseane da Silva Couto
,
Endrya do Socorro Foro Ramos
,
Wandercleyson Uchôa Abreu
,
Luis Reginaldo Ribeiro Rodrigues
ORCID logo ,
Luis Fernando Marinho
,
Vanessa dos Santos Morais
ORCID logo ,
Fabiola Villanova
ORCID logo ,
Ramendra Pati Pandey
ORCID logo ,
Xutao Deng
,
Eric Delwart
ORCID logo ,
Antonio Charlys da Costa
ORCID logo ,
Elcio Leal
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 1 December 2023 / Approved: 4 December 2023 / Online: 4 December 2023 (15:21:00 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Couto, R.S.; Ramos, E.S.F.; Abreu, W.U.; Rodrigues, L.R.R.; Marinho, L.F.; Morais, V.S.; Villanova, F.; Pandey, R.P.; Deng, X.; Delwart, E.; Costa, A.C.; Leal, E. Metagenomic of Liver Tissue Identified at Least Two Genera of Totivirus-like Viruses in Molossus molossus Bats. Microorganisms 2024, 12, 206. Couto, R.S.; Ramos, E.S.F.; Abreu, W.U.; Rodrigues, L.R.R.; Marinho, L.F.; Morais, V.S.; Villanova, F.; Pandey, R.P.; Deng, X.; Delwart, E.; Costa, A.C.; Leal, E. Metagenomic of Liver Tissue Identified at Least Two Genera of Totivirus-like Viruses in Molossus molossus Bats. Microorganisms 2024, 12, 206.

Abstract

The Totiviridae family of viruses has a unique genome consisting of double-stranded RNA with two open reading frames that encode the capsid protein (Cap) and the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRpol). Most virions in this family are isometric in shape, approximately 40 nm in diameter, and lack envelope. There are five genera within this family, including Totivirus, Victorivirus, Giardiavirus, Leishmaniavirus, and Trichomonasvirus. While Totivirus and Victorivirus primarily infect fungi, Giardiavirus, Leishmaniavirus, and Trichomonasvirus infect diverse hosts, including protists, insects, and vertebrates. Recently, new totivirus-like species have been discovered in fish and plant hosts, and through metagenomic analysis, a novel totivirus-like virus (named Tianjin totivirus) has been isolated from bat guano. Interestingly, Tianjin totivirus causes cytopathic effects in insect cells but cannot grow in mammalian cells, suggesting that it infects insects consumed by insectivorous bats. In this study, we used next-generation sequencing and identified totivirus-like viruses in liver tissue from Molossus molossus bats in the Amazon region of Brazil. Comparative phylogenetic analysis based on the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase region revealed that the viruses identified in Molossus bats belong to two distinct phylogenetic clades, possibly comprising different genera within the Totiviridae family. Notably, the mean similarity between Tianjin totivirus and the totiviruses identified in Molossus bats is less than 18%. These findings suggest that the diversity of totiviruses in bats is more extensive than previously recognized and highlight the potential for bats to serve as reservoirs for novel toti-like viruses.

Keywords

Metagenomics; Totivirus; Bats; Molossus; Amazon region.

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Virology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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