Triatomine assassin bugs comprise hematophagous insect vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of the Chagas disease. Although the microbiome of these species has been investigated to some extent, only one virus infecting Triatoma infestans has been identified to date. Here, we describe for the first time seven (+) single-strand RNA viruses (RpV1-7) infecting Rhodnius prolixus, a primary vector of the Chagas disease in Central and South America. We show that the RpVs belong to the Picorna-Calici, Permutotetra and Luteo-Sobemo clades and are vertically transmitted from the mothers to the progeny via transovarial transmission. Consistent with this, all the RpVs, except RpV2 that is related to the entomopathogenic Slow bee paralysis virus, established persistent infections in our R. prolixus colony. Furthermore, we show that R. prolixus ovaries express 22-nucleotide viral siRNAs (vsiRNAs), but not viral piRNAs, that originate from the processing of dsRNA intermediates during viral replication of the RpVs. Interestingly, the Permutotetra and Luteo-Sobemo viruses display shared pools of visRNAs that might provide the basis for a cross-immunity system.The vsiRNAs are maternally deposited in the eggs, where they likely contribute to reduce the viral load and protect the developing embryos. Our results unveil for the first time a complex core virome in R. prolixus and begin to shed light on the RNAi-based antiviral defenses in triatomines.

中文翻译：

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透变速传播加剧了南美锥虫病病媒罗氏红球菌的核心病毒的持续感染

Triatomine刺客臭虫包含Chagas病的病原体Trypanosoma cruzi的食血昆虫载体。尽管已对这些物种的微生物组进行了一定程度的研究，但迄今为止，仅鉴定出一种感染Triatoma infestans的病毒。在这里，我们首次描述了七种（+）单链RNA病毒（RpV1-7），感染了Rhodnius prolixus，它是中南美南美锥虫病的主要媒介。我们显示，RpVs属于Picorna-Calici，Permutotetra和Luteo-Sobemo进化枝，并通过经卵巢的传播从母亲垂直传播到后代。与此相一致，除与昆虫致病性慢蜂麻痹病毒有关的RpV2外，所有RpV都在我们的螺旋藻菌落中建立了持续感染。此外，我们证明了R。腹腔卵巢表达22个核苷酸的病毒siRNA（vsiRNA），但不表达病毒piRNA，其起源于RpV病毒复制过程中dsRNA中间体的加工。有趣的是，Permutotetra和Luteo-Sobemo病毒展示了visRNA的共享池，这些池可能为交叉免疫系统奠定了基础。我们的研究结果首次揭示了螺旋藻中复杂的核心病毒，并开始阐明三氢嘧啶中基于RNAi的抗病毒防御能力。Permutotetra和Luteo-Sobemo病毒展示了可共享的visRNA池，可为交叉免疫系统提供基础。vsiRNA母体沉积在卵中，它们可能有助于减少病毒载量并保护发育中的胚胎。我们的研究结果首次揭示了螺旋藻中复杂的核心病毒，并开始阐明三氢嘧啶中基于RNAi的抗病毒防御能力。Permutotetra和Luteo-Sobemo病毒展示了可共享的visRNA池，可为交叉免疫系统提供基础。vsiRNA母体沉积在卵中，它们可能有助于减少病毒载量并保护发育中的胚胎。我们的研究结果首次揭示了螺旋藻中复杂的核心病毒，并开始阐明三氢嘧啶中基于RNAi的抗病毒防御能力。