techinical information about Rosa rugosa leaf distortion vir

General Discussion
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Published in: Archives of Virology, December 2013, Volume 158, Issue 12, pp 2617-2620

Title: “Complete nucleotide sequence of Rosa rugosa leaf distortion virus, a new member of the family Tombusviridae”

Authors: Dimitre Mollov, Ben Lockhart, David C. Zlesak

“Abstract
This report describes the complete nucleotide sequence and genome organization of Rosa rugosa leaf distortion virus (RrLDV), the causal agent of a previously undescribed virus disease of Rosa rugosa. The RrLDV genome is a positive-sense ssRNA, 3971 nucleotides in length, containing five open reading frames (ORFs). ORF1 encodes a 27-kDa peptide (p27). ORF2 shares a common start codon with ORF1 and continues through the amber stop codon of p27 to produce an 87-kDa protein (p87) with amino acid sequence similarity to the RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRp) of members of the family Tombusviridae. ORF3 encodes a protein of 8 kDa with no significant similarity to known viral sequences. ORF4 encodes a 6-kDa protein (p6) with similarity to the p13 movement proteins of members of the family Tombusviridae. ORF5 has no conventional start codon and overlaps with p6. A putative +1 frame shift mechanism allows p6 translation to continue through the stop codon and results in a 12-kDa protein with high homology to the carmovirus p13 movement protein. The 37-kDa protein encoded by ORF6 has amino acid sequence similarity to coat proteins (CPs) of members of the family Tombusviridae. Phylogenetic analyses of the RdRp and CP amino acid sequences placed RrLDV in a subgroup close to members of the genus Carmovirus of the family Tombusviridae.”

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Thanks for posting this Henry! There have been multiple rugosas we come across in different landscapes that have tested positive. This likely isn’t an isolated virus. The leaves especially are small and distorted early in the growing season as they emerge and can have some watermarking. They frequently look better as the season progresses unfolding new leaves that mature to a more typical size. The plants seem somewhat stunted too. In a mass planting of ‘Charles Albanel’ in a landscape there are a couple that tested clean and are noticably larger and more robust than the infected plants. We have gotten samples of a rugosa in the Pavement series sent to us that had very very strong symptoms even well into summer. The frame shift of two overlapping genes in this virus is very interesting. We are working on another publication focusing on the symptoms, transmission, and diagnostics.

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Among my rugosa bracteata derived population I meet yearly a few plants with narrower leaflets not unlike the Watsoniana syndrom with different expression in different genetical context.

I rather strongly suspect it is a seed transmitted virus. And now I am roguing them.