Complete genome sequence of Aphid lethal paralysis virus from metagenomic analysis of Cestrum elegans small RNAs

Passive “vector” plants can harbor insect viruses without supporting their replication and may have epidemiological consequences. We report complete sequence of Aphid lethal paralysis virus (ALPV, Cripavirus, Dicistroviridae) from small RNA sequencing of a new passive “vector” plant, Cestrum elegans in Turkey using de novo assembly and annotating of contigs. Its genome is 9837 nt in length which encodes for 2 ORFs (including an intergenic untranslated region (IGR) of 196 nt) flanked by a 525 nt 5′ UTR and a 596 nt 3′ UTR. Multiple alignment and phylogenetic analysis showed that the isolate shares highest identity with ALPV-An (JX480861) isolated from oleander aphid, Aphis nerii and was placed into the same clade with other isolates of passive “vector” plants comprising cucumber and maize isolates. •Aphid lethal paralysis virus (ALPV) was detected in Cestrum elegans by means of high throughput sequencing of small RNAs.•Complete genome of the virus obtained from reference guided assembly via VirusDetect.•ALPV-CE shares highest identity with ALPV-An (JX480861) isolated from oleander aphid, Aphis nerii.