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Submitted to: Advances in Virus Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/2018 Publication Date: 9/15/2018 Citation: Wintermantel, W.M. 2018. Integration of omics approaches toward understanding whitefly transmission of viruses. Advances in Virus Research. 102:199-223. Interpretive Summary: Viruses transmitted by whiteflies are mainly classified as persistent circulative, or having the ability to circulate throughout the vector and be transmitted for the life of the insect, or as having semipersistent transmission, in which case the virus is acquired during an extended feeding period, maintained for a few hours to days, and transmission is lost over time. The majority of studies have addressed transmission of viruses in the genera Begomovirus (Geminiviridae) and Crinivirus (Closteroviridae), respectively. Early studies on vector transmission primarily addressed individual aspects of transmission; however, with the breadth of new technology now available, an increasingly greater number of studies involve coordinated research that is beginning to assemble a more complete picture of how whiteflies and viruses have coevolved to allow transmission to occur. In particular the integration of gene expression and metabolomic studies into broader research topics is providing knowledge of changes within the whitefly vector in response to the presence of viruses that would have been impossible to identify previously. Examples include comparative studies on the response of whiteflies to begomovirus and crinivirus infection of common host plants, evolution of whitefly relationships with endosymbiotic bacteria that provide essential functions to the whitefly, and opportunities to evaluate responses to specific transmission related events. Integration of metabolomics, as well as the application of electrical penetration graphing (EPG), a means of monitoring insect feeding patterns, can lead to an ability to examine the changes that occur in vector insects associated with specific aspects of virus transmission. Through gaining more complete knowledge of the mechanisms behind whitefly transmission of viruses new control strategies will undoubtedly emerge for control of whiteflies and the viruses they transmit. Technical Abstract: Viruses transmitted by whiteflies are predominantly classified as having persistent circulative or semipersistent transmission, and the majority of studies have addressed transmission of viruses in the genera Begomovirus (Geminiviridae) and Crinivirus (Closteroviridae), respectively. Early studies on vector transmission primarily addressed individual aspects of transmission; however, with the breadth of new technology now available, an increasingly greater number of studies involve coordinated research that is beginning to assemble a more complete picture of how whiteflies and viruses have coevolved to facilitate transmission. In particular the integration of gene expression and metabolomic studies into broader research topics is providing knowledge of changes within the whitefly vector in response to the presence of viruses that would have been impossible to identify previously. Examples include comparative studies on the response of Bemisia tabaci to begomovirus and crinivirus infection of common host plants, evolution of whitefly endosymbiont relationships, and opportunities to evaluate responses to specific transmission related events. Integration of metabolomics, as well as the application of electrical penetration graphing (EPG) can lead to an ability to monitor the changes that occur in vector insects associated with specific aspects of virus transmission. Through gaining more complete knowledge of the mechanisms behind whitefly transmission of viruses new control strategies will undoubtedly emerge for control of whiteflies and the viruses they transmit. |
