In silico description of a new Amalgavirus in the Cannabis sativa transcriptome

Abstract

Cannabis sativa has a variety of industrial interest products, such as phytocannabinoids, terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, acyl sugars, and fibers. Several described pathogens, including viral species, will impact the current green cannabis revolution. The recent sequencing of its genome and transcriptome, allowing the optimization and understanding of the production of the metabolite, are a relevant tool for viruses presence analyzing. Using the cannabis transcriptome and Data mining analysis, we describe the first amalgavirus infecting Cannabis, the Cannabis sativa amalgavirus 1 (CSA1). The plant amalgaviruses has nine species infecting relevant crops. Like the other genus members, this cannabis virus has approximately 3.5 kb with two partially overlapping putative open reading frames with the characteristic +1 programmed ribosomal frameshifting. Mainly detected in the male plant, the CSA1 mapped reads were present in the flower and leaf tissues. Nevertheless, the possible impacts of viral replication on host metabolism and the production of secondary compounds are unknown.