Understanding the Diversity, Evolution, Ecology, and Applications of Mycoviruses

Abstract

Mycoviruses are widely distributed among various kinds of fungi. Over the past 10 years, more novel mycoviruses have been discovered with the use of high-throughput sequencing techniques, and research on mycoviruses has made fantastic progress, promoting our understanding of the diversity, classification, evolution, and ecology of the entire virosphere. Mycoviruses affect the biological and ecological functions of their hosts, for example, by suppressing or improving hosts’ virulence and reproduction ability, and subsequently affect the microbiological community where their hosts live; hence, we may develop mycoviruses to regulate the health of environments, plants, animals, and human beings. In this review, we introduce recently discovered mycoviruses from fungi of humans, animals, plants, and environments, and their diversity, evolution, and ecological characteristics. We also present the potential application of mycoviruses by describing the latest progress on using mycoviruses to control plant diseases. Finally, we discuss the main issues facing mycovirus research in the future.