Phylogenetic Analysis of a Mitovirus in Fusarium oxysporum from Phytolacca dioica in the Canary Islands

We characterized a novel mitovirus from Fusarium oxysporum isolated from Phytolacca dioica (ombú) in the Canary Islands, Spain. Using transcriptome sequencing, we assembled the full-length genome of the novel Fusarium oxysporum mitovirus 2-like (FoMV2-like), which consists of 2,363 nucleotides and has a GC content of 30.3%. The genome harbors a single open reading frame (ORF) encoding a protein of 713 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis of the RdRp amino acid sequence showed that FoMV2-like clusters closely with Fusarium oxysporum mitovirus 2, suggesting a close evolutionary relationship. DNADiff analysis revealed that the genome of FoMV2-like shares 100% alignment with Fusarium oxysporum mitovirus 2, with an average identity of 87.33%, supporting its classification as a distinct species within the Mitoviridae family. This study expands our understanding of mycoviral diversity in Fusarium oxysporum and contributes to the genomic characterization of mitoviruses.