Cannabis sativa has a variety of industrially interesting products, such as phytocannabinoids, terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, acyl sugars, and fibers. Several identified pathogens, including viral species, will impact the current green cannabis revolution. The recent sequencing of its genome and transcriptome, which allows for the optimization and understanding of metabolite production, is a relevant tool for analyzing the presence of viruses. Using the cannabis transcriptome and data mining analysis, we describe the first amalgavirus infecting Cannabis, the Cannabis sativa amalgavirus 1 (CSA1). Plant amalgaviruses include nine species that infect important crops. Like other members of the genus, this cannabis virus has approximately 3.5 kb with two partially overlapping putative open reading frames featuring 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.
Leitão, Matheus. (2025). In silico description of a new Amalgavirus in the Cannabis sativa transcriptome. 10.1101/2025.02.27.640618.
Source: Research Gate