Oral: See the Unseen: Metatranscriptomics Unviels Plant and Vector-Pathogen Interactions
113-S
RNA-Seq unveils distinct interactions of whitefly with Tomato chlorosis virus and other viruses
N. Kaur (1), D. Hasegawa (2), W. Chen (3), Y. Zheng (3), Z. Fei (3), K. Ling (4), W. Wintermantel (5) (1) USDA, U.S.A.; (2) Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; USDA-ARS, Salinas, CA, USA, U.S.A.; (3) Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY 14853
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Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, MEAMI, biotype B is a serious agriculture pest that causes crop losses through direct feeding or virus transmission. B. tabaci is highly polyphagous, infests crops worldwide, and rapidly develops resistance to insecticides. To understand how whitefly interacts with semi-persistent viruses, RNA-Seq was performed on whiteflies fed on Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV)-infected tomato for 24, 48, and 72 h. Analysis of transcriptome data between viruliferous and healthy whiteflies revealed >1,000 genes regulated in ToCV-whiteflies. Further analysis unveiled significantly different expression of several genes and gene families: cathepsins, glucose-transporters, alpha-glucosidases and some genes from the uric acid pathway. Furthermore, ~380 large clusters of tandemly duplicated genes with unknown protein functions were found to be influenced in whiteflies by ToCV infection of host plants. Comparison of gene expression changes related to feeding on a persistent virus revealed fewer but distinct differences in gene expression than were observed for the semipersistent virus. These differences may be linked to the different modes (semipersistent-noncirculative and persistent-circulative) of virus transmission. The data will shed light on the molecular relationships involved in whitefly transmission of viruses and lead to new approaches for pest management.