Oxford nanopore sequencing as a useful tool for investigating the population dynamics of invasive begomoviruses in Sicily Tomato yellow leaf curl disease is a major viral disease severely affecting tomato crops in the Mediterranean region, leading to reduced crop yield and significant economic losses. The disease is caused by monopartite begomoviruses belonging to the Geminiviridae family, primarily tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus (TYLCSV) and tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), which often co-infect tomato plants, promoting the emergence of recombinant viral genomes. To investigate the diversity and evolutionary dynamics of these viruses, symptomatic plants collected from agricultural sites in Sicily between 2020 and 2022, along with archived plant samples from 1994 to 1999, were analysed. For each collection site, leaves from symptomatic plants were pooled to form representative samples. Total nucleic acids were extracted and subjected to rolling circle amplification to enrich circular viral genomes. The amplified products were sequenced using Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) long-read sequencing to obtain full-length viral genomes. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that archived samples mainly contained TYLCSV-related sequences, confirming its historical predominance in Sicilian agroecosystems. Recent samples, by contrast, were dominated by TYLCV-derived recombinants such as TYLCV-IS141- and TYLCV-IS76-like variants, indicating a temporal shift in the structure of the viral population. Furthermore, a distinct group of newly emerged recombinants, provisionally referred to as TYLCV-IMS54, was identified in the most recent samples. Their genome comprises a TYLCV backbone, a 54-nt segment from TYLCSV located downstream of the stem-loop region and a 341-nt region derived from TYLCV-Mild. These results demonstrate the importance of continuous viral population monitoring through ONT-based sequencing to detect emerging variants that may influence disease management strategies in tomato crops and highlight the central role of recombination in shaping begomovirus populations.

Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing reveals temporal shifts in invasive begomovirus populations in Sicily, highlighting recombinant variants driving epidemic dynamics in tomato crops. #geminivirus #Nanopore #PlantVirology #tomato
📄 https://doi.org/10.1099/mgen.0.001529
👤 EVBC member: Laura Miozzi

New genes on the block: additional open reading frames in the genomes of geminiviruses In their DNA genomes, the devastating plant-infecting geminiviruses contain partially overlapping genes which encode multifunctional proteins. For decades, geminiviral genomes were believed to contain...

📜 New genes on the block: additional open reading frames in the genomes of geminiviruses

🧑‍🔬 @huangtan.bsky.social, @geminiteamlab.bsky.social, et al.

📔 @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social

🔗 www.cell.com/trends/micro...

#️⃣ #PlantScience #PlantImmunity #PlantViruses #Virology #Geminivirus

Grapevine red blotch disease: A comprehensive Q&A guide

New month, new plant virus!
After #ToBRFV in March, we spotlight #GRBV – Grapevine Red Blotch Virus – for April 2025
It’s a DNA virus from the Geminiviridae family, threatening wine & table grape production!
doi.org/10.1371/jour...

#PlantVirology #geminivirus

Fine-tuning expression of begomoviral movement and nuclear shuttle proteins confers cell-to-cell movement to mastreviral replicons in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves Geminiviruses are a group of small plant viruses responsible for devastating crop damage worldwide. The emergence of agricultural diseases caused by geminiviruses is attributed in part to their high r...

Fine-tuned expression of begomoviral MP/NSP enables cell-to-cell movement of mastrevirus replicons in N. benth. overcoming size and hypersensitivity challenges. A breakthrough for cross-genus complementarity in plant viruses! #PlantVirology #Geminivirus

www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

Katharina Hipp has received her venia legendi from the University of Stuttgart with her habilitation entitled "Replication, Packaging and Pathogenesis of Geminiviruses". Congratulations, Dr. habil. Katharina Hipp!
#katharinahipp #geminivirus #habil