Novel Foveavirus (the family Betaflexiviridae) species identified in ginseng (Panax ginseng).

Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is a valuable herb that is widely cultivated in Korea, China, and Japan because it contains a variety of pharmacologically active substances with a wide range of positive effects on human health. Identification and prevention of disease-causing viral pathogens of ginseng is important for improving the yield and quality of ginseng-derived bioactive molecules. In this study, the genome sequence of the virus Panax ginseng flexivirus 1 (PgFV1) was identified from a ginseng root transcriptome data set. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis showed that PgFV1 is a novel plant RNA virus species of the genus Foveavirus (the family Betaflexiviridae). Foveaviruses have flexuous and filamentous virions with a single-stranded positive-sense mono-segmented RNA genome. Its infection causes diseases with mosaic and ringspot symptoms in the stems and leaves. The PgFV1 genome encodes for 5 open reading frames: a replicase polyprotein for viral genome replication, 3 triple gene block proteins for viral cell-to-cell movement, and coat protein. Phylogenetic trees inferred from replicase polyprotein or coat protein sequences showed that PgFV1 is most closely related to grapevine virus T. PgFV1 is the first foveavirus identified to be associated with ginseng. Given the potential pathogenic features of previously known foveaviruses and importance of ginseng in the health industry, the PgFV1 genome sequence may be highly useful for studying ginseng foveaviruses. Keywords: ginseng; Panax ginseng flexivirus 1; Foveavirus; Betaflexiviridae.