Molecular characterisation of four novel dsRNA viruses isolated from different Mucor hiemalis strains. Identification of dsRNA viruses in different Mucor strains

The aim of our research was the isolation and molecular characterisation of the dsRNA fragments previously purified from four different Mucor isolates. In the present study, we have described four novel dsRNA virus genomes and we have examined them in detail. CF-11 cellulose chromatography was used to purify dsRNA elements from total nucleic acid extracts. In the four dsRNA-containing Mucor isolates, three different patterns were observed, with 1 to 3 discrete and different sized (3.5-5.5 kb) dsRNA bands. The full genome sequence analysis revealed that the detected viruses contain two open reading frames (ORFs), which encode a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and a capsid protein (CP). Each detected dsRNA virus is related to Totiviridae family.