The mechanism by which plant viruses manipulate the behavior of insect vectors has largely been described as indirect manipulation through modifications of the host plant. However, little is known about the direct interaction of the plant virus on the nervous system of its insect vector, and the substantial behavioral effect on virus transmission.
△ Bemisia tabaci
Using a system consisting of a Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) and its insect vector whitefly, researchers found that TYLCV caused caspase-dependent apoptotic neurodegeneration with severe vacuolar neuropathological lesions in the brain of viruliferous whitefly by inducing a putative inflammatory signaling cascade of innate immunity. The sensory defects caused by neurodegeneration removed the steady preference of whitefly for virus-infected plants, thereby enhancing the probability of the virus to enter uninfected hosts, and eventually benefit TYLCV spread among the plant community. These findings provide a neuromechanism for virus transmission to modify its associated insect vector behavior.
The study was published in eLife. PhD student WANG Shifan at University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (institute: Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences) is the first author, Prof. SUN Yucheng and Prof. GE Feng at Institute of Zoology of Chinese Academy of Sciences are the corresponding authors. The two researchers are also doctoral supervisors at University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
