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Title: Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals networks of genes activated in the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci when fed on tomato plants infected with Tomato yellow leaf curl virus

Author
item Hasegawa, Daniel
item CHEN, WENBO - Boyce Thompson Institute
item ZHENG, YI - Boyce Thompson Institute
item Kaur, Navneet
item Wintermantel, William - Bill
item Simmons, Alvin
item FEI, ZHANGJUN - Boyce Thompson Institute
item Ling, Kai-Shu

Submitted to: Virology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/7/2017
Publication Date: 1/1/2018
Citation: Hasegawa, D.K., Chen, W., Zheng, Y., Kaur, N., Wintermantel, W.M., Simmons, A.M., Fei, Z., Ling, K. 2018. Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals networks of genes activated in the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci when fed on tomato plants infected with Tomato yellow leaf curl virus. Virology. 513:52-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2017.10.008.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2017.10.008

Interpretive Summary: Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) transmitted viruses have caused some of the most important plant diseases in agriculture productions, and they threaten the food security in the world, particularly in Africa. Due to its adaptive ability to survive and multiply in many plant species, and tolerance to insecticides, whiteflies are difficult to control. The recently developed ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) technology has been shown to be an effective management strategy for insect pests. However, sequence information regarding target genes that are responsible for virus transmission in whitefly is not available. In this study, we conducted a transcriptome analysis of B. tabaci fed on tomato infected with a begomovirus, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). Numerous differentially expressed genes that may be responsible in regulating the whitefly’s ability to acquire and transmit TYLCV have been identified. These data contribute to the greater understanding of how begomoviruses affect their obligate whitefly vector and provides a list of candidate genes that can be used in the development of RNAi for whitefly management.

Technical Abstract: The whitefly Bemisia tabaci can transmit hundreds of viruses to numerous agricultural crops in the world. Five genera of viruses, including Begomovirus and Crinivirus, are transmitted by B. tabaci. There is little knowledge about the genes involved in virus acquisition and transmission by whiteflies. Using a comparative transcriptomics approach, we evaluated the gene expression profiles of whiteflies (B. tabaci MEAM1) after feeding on tomato infected by a begomovirus, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), in comparison to a recent study, in which whiteflies were fed on tomato infected by the crinivirus, Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV). The data revealed similar temporal trends in gene expression, but large differences in the number of whitefly genes when fed on TYLCV or ToCV-infected tomato. Transcription factors, cathepsins, receptors, and a hemocyanin gene, which is implicated in mediating antiviral immune responses in other insects and possibly virus transmission, were some of the genes identified.