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Volume 41 Issue 3
June 2026
    Citation: Jiaxiang Li, Kewei Chen, Xin Chen, Kaiyang Zheng, Shujuan Sun, Hao Yu, Yue Dong, Ziyue Wang, Yixuan Xu, Andrew McMinn, Yeong Yik Sung, Wen Jye Mok, Li Lian Wong, Yantao Liang, Min Wang. A comprehensive RNA virome from molluscan transcriptomes reveals extensive diversity and modular genome evolution .VIROLOGICA SINICA, 2026, 41(3) : 532-542.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.virs.2026.05.009
    shu

    A comprehensive RNA virome from molluscan transcriptomes reveals extensive diversity and modular genome evolution

    • a. MoE Key Laboratory of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, and Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China;

    • b. Haide College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China;

    • c. UMT-OUC Joint Centre for Marine Studies, Qingdao, 266003, China;

    • d. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia;

    • e. Institute of Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, 21030, Malaysia

    • Mollusca, the second-largest animal phylum, includes many aquaculture species used as important food resources for humans. While DNA viruses that threaten molluscan aquaculture have received much attention, molluscan RNA viromes are still understudied. Here, using a multi-stage RdRP discovery pipeline combining six-frame translation, profile-based homology search, and phylogenetic validation, 203 RNA viruses spanning five viral phyla and fifteen viral orders were identified, based on 223 molluscan metatranscriptomes covering eight classes. Phylogenetic analysis, combined with structural modeling, revealed a significant increase in the number of Pisuviricota-related lineages. Extensive modular evolution in viral genomes was observed, including gene rearrangements and co-evolution of capsid and RdRP genes. Host prediction linked 76% of the RNA viruses to a range of eukaryotes. These findings expand the diversity of RNA viruses associated with molluscs and shed light on their phylogenetic relationships, highlighting that molluscs might serve as an important reservoir of diverse RNA viruses infecting a range of eukaryotic hosts.
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      A comprehensive RNA virome from molluscan transcriptomes reveals extensive diversity and modular genome evolution

        Corresponding author: Yantao Liang, liangyantao@ouc.edu.cn
        Corresponding author: Min Wang, mingwang@ouc.edu.cn
      • a. MoE Key Laboratory of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, and Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China;
      • b. Haide College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China;
      • c. UMT-OUC Joint Centre for Marine Studies, Qingdao, 266003, China;
      • d. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia;
      • e. Institute of Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, 21030, Malaysia
      • Received Date: 22 February 2026
      • Accepted Date: 27 May 2026

      Abstract: Mollusca, the second-largest animal phylum, includes many aquaculture species used as important food resources for humans. While DNA viruses that threaten molluscan aquaculture have received much attention, molluscan RNA viromes are still understudied. Here, using a multi-stage RdRP discovery pipeline combining six-frame translation, profile-based homology search, and phylogenetic validation, 203 RNA viruses spanning five viral phyla and fifteen viral orders were identified, based on 223 molluscan metatranscriptomes covering eight classes. Phylogenetic analysis, combined with structural modeling, revealed a significant increase in the number of Pisuviricota-related lineages. Extensive modular evolution in viral genomes was observed, including gene rearrangements and co-evolution of capsid and RdRP genes. Host prediction linked 76% of the RNA viruses to a range of eukaryotes. These findings expand the diversity of RNA viruses associated with molluscs and shed light on their phylogenetic relationships, highlighting that molluscs might serve as an important reservoir of diverse RNA viruses infecting a range of eukaryotic hosts.

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