Arch Virol (2012) 157:1559–1564 DOI 10.1007/s00705-012-1316-9 BRIEF REPORT Sequencing and analysis of the complete genome of Rana grylio virus (RGV) Xiao-Ying Lei • Tong Ou • Ruo-Lin Zhu • Qi-Ya Zhang Received: 13 February 2012 / Accepted: 19 March 2012 / Published online: 28 April 2012 Ó Springer-Verlag 2012 Abstract Infection with Rana grylio virus (RGV), an including the genera Iridovirus, Chloriridovirus, Lympho- iridovirus isolated in China in 1995, resulted in a high cystivirus, Megalocytivirus and Ranavirus [4]. So far, the mortality rate in frogs. The complete genome sequence of entire genomes of 18 iridoviruses have been sequenced RGV was determined and analyzed. The genomic DNA completely (Table S1). Three of these are invertebrate- was 105,791 bp long, with 106 open reading frames infecting iridoviruses, and the other 15 are associated with (ORFs). Dot plot analysis showed that the gene order of aquatic vertebrates. These include lymphocystis disease RGV shared colinearity with three completely sequenced virus 1 (LCDV-1) and lymphocystis disease virus-China ranaviruses. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on (LCDV-C), belonging to the genus Lymphocystivirus, and concatenated sequences of iridovirus 26 core-gene-encoded infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV), rock proteins, and the result showed high bootstrap support for bream iridovirus (RBIV), turbot reddish body iridovirus RGV being a member of the genus Ranavirus and that (TRBIV), and other viruses, belonging to the genus Mega- iridoviruses of other genera also clustered closely. A locytivirus that can infect fish species. Iridoviruses of the microRNA (miRNA) prediction revealed that RGV could genus Ranavirus, including frog virus 3 (FV3), soft-shelled encode 18 mature miRNAs, many of which were located turtle iridovirus (STIV), epizootic hematopoietic necrosis near genes associated with virus replication. Thirty-three virus (EHNV), and other viruses can infect amphibians, repeated sequences were found in the RGV genome. fish and reptiles [5–12]. These results provide insight into the genetic nature of Members of the genus Ranavirus have been recognized RGV and are useful for laboratory diagnosis for vertebrate as major pathogens of economically and ecologically iridoviruses. important cold-blooded vertebrates and have become seri- ous problems in modern aquaculture, fish farming, and wildlife conservation because of their epidemic morbidity Iridoviruses are nucleo-cytoplasmic large DNA viruses and ability to cause mortality [13]. Rana grylio virus (NCLDVs) and contain circularly permutated and termi- (RGV) is a pathogenic agent that results in greater than nally redundant double-stranded genomes [1–3]. The 90 % mortality in cultured pig frog (Rana grylio), which family Iridoviridae currently contains five genera, was the first iridovirus isolated in China in 1995 [14, 15]. RGV has been recognized as a member of the family Iri- doviridae and is closely related to FV3, based on previous Electronic supplementary material The online version of this studies on morphogenesis, cellular interaction, antigenicity, article (doi:10.1007/s00705-012-1316-9) contains supplementary restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and material, which is available to authorized users. major capsid protein (MCP) sequence similarity [15–18]. X.-Y. Lei Á T. Ou Á R.-L. Zhu Á Q.-Y. Zhang (&) To date, some genes of RGV have been identified and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, characterized, such as 3b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, (3b-HSD), deoxyuridine triphosphatase (dUTPase), an Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China envelope protein gene (53R), thymidine kinase (TK) and e-mail: [email protected] a gene belonging to the ‘‘essential for respiration and 123 1560 X.-Y. Lei et al. Fig. 1 Organization of the RGV genome. Predicted ORFs are of methionine start and stop codons. Black arrows represent the ORFs numbered from left to right and represented by arrows indicating with predicted functions, and the white ones represent those with their approximate size, location and orientation based on the positions unknown function viability’’ family (ERV1) [19–24]. We found that RGV studied previously were not amplified again. All of the could induce apoptosis mediated by mitochondria [25]. fragments were purified using a TIANgel Mini Purification RGV has the potential to be used as a viral vector for Kit (Tiangen Biotech), cloned into vector pMD18-T expression of foreign genes in fish cells [26]. (TaKaRa), and sequenced in both directions in an ABI PRISM So far, the complete sequence of RGV has not been 3700 automated DNA sequencer using M13 primers. available, and the relationship of RGV to other iridoviruses Genomic DNA assembly, structure analysis, and amino has not been well understood. To aid in the understanding acid sequence analysis were carried out using the DNA- of the molecular mechanisms of amphibian iridovirus STAR software package (Lasergene, Madison, WI, USA). pathogenesis and its evolutionary status, the complete The ORFs were predicted using Gene Finding in the virus sequence of RGV genomic DNA was determined and genome program at the website http://www.softberry.com analyzed. and NCBI ORF Finder (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gorf/ RGV was isolated from tissues of diseased young pig gorf.html). Comparisons of homologous protein-encoding frogs with lethal syndrome in Hubei Province, China, in regions of RGV with those of other viruses were conducted 1995, and Epithelioma papulosum cyprinid (EPC) cells using the BLASTP program at NCBI website (http://www. were used for virus propagation, grown in TC 199 medium ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Transmembrane domains (TMs) were supplemented with 10 % fetal bovine serum (FBS) at predicted using TMHMM 2.0 (http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/ 25 °C[14]. Virus propagation and purification were per- services/TMHMM-2.0) and the DAS-TM filter server formed as we described previously [17]. RGV genomic (http://mendel.imp.univie.ac.at/sat/DAS)[28]. Repetitive DNA was prepared from purified virus particles. The DNA sequences were detected using REPuter and the purified virus was incubated with TES (10 mM Tris, 1 mM Tandem Repeats Finder [29, 30]. The complete genome EDTA, 1 % SDS, pH 8.0, 100 lg/ml proteinase K) at was scanned for miRNA coding regions using VMir [31], 37 °C for 2 h. Then, the lysate was subjected to phenol- and possible miRNA coding sequences were further ana- chloroform extraction and ethanol precipitation as descri- lyzed using MiPred [32] and RNAfold server (http://rna. bed in our previous work [27]. tbi.univie.ac.at). DNA dot matrix plot analysis was per- Primers were designed based on complete DNA formed using DNAMAN version 6 (Lynnon Corp.). sequence alignments of FV3, tiger frog virus (TFV) and Sequences of 26 core-gene-encoded proteins from 17 STIV, which are shown in Table S2. The amplified PCR other completely sequenced iridoviruses were concatenated products were about 1500 bp in length, and the genes as a continuous amino acid sequence with the same order 123 Genome sequence of Rana grylio virus 1561 Fig. 2 DNA dot plot analysis of the RGV genome in comparison strands of the genome DNA sequences were aligned for the dot matrix with itself and other ranaviruses. The horizontal axis represents the plot. Solid lines show the high level of sequence similarity. Black dots RGV genome. The vertical axes represent (a) the RGV genome, show the results of comparisons of RGV with the positive-sense (b) the FV3 genome, (c) the STIV genome, (d) the TFV genome, strand of the virus indicated in the vertical axis, and red dots show (e) the ATV genome and (f) the EHNV genome. The complete those with the corresponding plus-sense strand. Solid lines show the genomic sequences were aligned using DNAMAN version 6, and both high level of sequence similarity (color figure online) as RGV. LYCIV was not included, as its complete homology to those of other viruses were not annotated in sequence has not been annotated. The phylogenetic tree this work. The locations, sizes, predicted functions and was constructed using MrBayes 3.2 following multi- motifs of each putative ORF are listed in Table S3, together sequence alignment using Clustal X 1.83 and format con- with homologous proteins in other iridoviruses (FV3, version using Mega 4 [33]. A mixed amino acid model STIV, LCDV-C and ISKNV). Eighty-nine percent of the analysis was applied with 100,000 generations and a ORFs have orthologous genes in FV3, 84 % in STIV, and sampling frequency of 100. only 25 % in ISKNV. ORFs were identified by the following criteria [9, 12, A diagrammatic representation of the RGV genome is 34]: (1) they were at least 120 bp long, (2) they could be shown in Fig. 1. Fifty-five ORFs were predicted to have detected by the two annotation methods, and (3) they were functions or functional domains (black arrows) related to not located within larger ORFs or have homologs to at least DNA replication, transcription, nucleotide metabolism, two known virus ORFs. protein synthesis and modification, viral structure, or host- The genome size, G?C content, and potential ORFs of virus interactions (Table S3). Additionally, of the 22 par- RGV were compared to those of other iridoviruses, and tially overlapping ORFs, one (72R) had a corresponding these data are shown in Table S1. The RGV genome ortholog only in the ATV genome, two (38R, 70L) had (GenBank accession no. JQ654586) contained a double- orthologs only in the STIV genome, others had orthologs in stranded DNA consisting of 105,791 bp, with a G?C at least two viruses, and 57R was completely within 56L. content of 55 %. One hundred and six putative ORFs could DNA dot plot analysis comparing the RGV genomic be identified in the RGV genome by computer-assisted DNA with itself and other iridovirus genomes revealed analysis, the length of which ranged from 126 to 3885 bp.