Sequence determination of a quadripartite dsRNA virus isolated from Aspergillus foetidus

Virus infection of Aspergillus foetidus was documented over 40 years ago and was one of the first mycovirus infections described in a filamentous fungus. The virus, named Aspergillus foetidus virus (AfV), contains at least two types of icosahedral particles, called AfVfast (-F) and AfV-slow (-S) virions, based on their relative electrophoretic mobilities. Here, we report the complete nucleotide sequence of the AfV-F genome isolated from virions purified from the prototype isolate of the fungus. The AfV-F double-stranded (ds) RNA genome is tetrasegmented, and the plus strands of each of the four segments, but not the minus strands, are polyadenylated. The organisation and sequences of the four AfV-F dsRNAs are similar to those described for Alternaria alternata virus 1, which we propose is a member of an emerging mycovirus genus (‘‘Alternavirus’’) and family (‘‘Alternaviridae’’), which also includes AfV-F.