Geminiviruses and their satellites: genomic diversity, evolutionary insights, and emerging models
5 affiliations
- 1Virology Lab, Centre of Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
- 2Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
- 3Central Laboratories, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
- 4Agricultural Research Institute, Gyeongkuk National University, Andong, Republic of Korea
- 5Department of Plant Medicals, Gyeongkuk National University, Andong, Republic of Korea
Abstract
Geminiviruses infect a wide range of economically important crops, including tomato, cassava, cotton, common bean, and maize, and are characterized by twinned icosahedral particles containing circular single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) genomes. Their genomes have undergone extensive diversification through mutation, recombination and association with satellite molecules. Depending on the genus, geminiviruses are transmitted by hemipteran vectors, including whiteflies, leafhoppers, aphids, and treehoppers, and replicate in plant cell nuclei using host replication machinery, which complicates disease management. Recent taxonomic updates by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in MSL41 recognize 549 species distributed across 15 genera, with Begomovirus accounting for most of the documented species diversity and Mastrevirus representing the second-largest genus. Analysis of documented records across eight geographic regions revealed the highest documented geminivirus species richness in the Indian subcontinent. Current evidence indicates that geminivirus diversification is shaped by multiple interacting evolutionary mechanisms, with recombination and modular genetic exchange contributing substantially to the formation of mosaic genomes, while host compatibility and vector ecology impose important ecological and functional constraints on their persistence and diversification. The discovery of previously unrecognized geminivirus lineages, endogenous geminivirus-related sequences, and additional genomic diversity through high-throughput sequencing indicates that the currently recognized diversity of geminiviruses remains incomplete. The evolutionary origin of geminiviruses remains partly unresolved because replication-associated and capsid-associated components show distinct evolutionary histories. Based on comparative genomic, phylogenetic, and recombination evidence, we propose a modular evolutionary model in which replication-associated and capsid-associated components followed distinct evolutionary trajectories, followed by genome-level assembly and diversification associated with the emergence of bipartite genome organization. Overall, the emerging view is that geminiviruses represent genetically and ecologically dynamic lineages shaped by interacting evolutionary processes rather than a single evolutionary trajectory. Broader sampling of hosts and vectors, comparative genomics and functional validation will be essential for resolving their origin and evolutionary relationships.
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BibTeX
@article{tahir2026geminiviruses,
title = {{Geminiviruses and their satellites: genomic diversity, evolutionary insights, and emerging models}},
author = {Jannat Tahir and Muhammad Mubin and Nazia Nahid and Palwasha Kanwal and Saba Shahid Gill and Muhamad Naeem Sattar and Muhammad Amir Qureshi and Eui-Joon Kil and Muhammad Shah Nawaz-ul-Rehman},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1947355},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1947355},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Geminiviruses and their satellites: genomic diversity, evolutionary insights, and emerging models
AU - Jannat Tahir
AU - Muhammad Mubin
AU - Nazia Nahid
AU - Palwasha Kanwal
AU - Saba Shahid Gill
AU - Muhamad Naeem Sattar
AU - Muhammad Amir Qureshi
AU - Eui-Joon Kil
AU - Muhammad Shah Nawaz-ul-Rehman
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1947355
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1947355
AB - Geminiviruses infect a wide range of economically important crops, including tomato, cassava, cotton, common bean, and maize, and are characterized by twinned icosahedral particles containing circular single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) genomes. Their genomes have undergone extensive diversification through mutation, recombination and association with satellite molecules. Depending on the genus, geminiviruses are transmitted by hemipteran vectors, including whiteflies, leafhoppers, aphids, and treehoppers, and replicate in plant cell nuclei using host replication machinery, which complicates disease management. Recent taxonomic updates by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in MSL41 recognize 549 species distributed across 15 genera, with Begomovirus accounting for most of the documented species diversity and Mastrevirus representing the second-largest genus. Analysis of documented records across eight geographic regions revealed the highest documented geminivirus species richness in the Indian subcontinent. Current evidence indicates that geminivirus diversification is shaped by multiple interacting evolutionary mechanisms, with recombination and modular genetic exchange contributing substantially to the formation of mosaic genomes, while host compatibility and vector ecology impose important ecological and functional constraints on their persistence and diversification. The discovery of previously unrecognized geminivirus lineages, endogenous geminivirus-related sequences, and additional genomic diversity through high-throughput sequencing indicates that the currently recognized diversity of geminiviruses remains incomplete. The evolutionary origin of geminiviruses remains partly unresolved because replication-associated and capsid-associated components show distinct evolutionary histories. Based on comparative genomic, phylogenetic, and recombination evidence, we propose a modular evolutionary model in which replication-associated and capsid-associated components followed distinct evolutionary trajectories, followed by genome-level assembly and diversification associated with the emergence of bipartite genome organization. Overall, the emerging view is that geminiviruses represent genetically and ecologically dynamic lineages shaped by interacting evolutionary processes rather than a single evolutionary trajectory. Broader sampling of hosts and vectors, comparative genomics and functional validation will be essential for resolving their origin and evolutionary relationships.
SN - 1664-302X
ER -