Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Salinas, California » Crop Improvement and Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #336909
Title: Transcriptome analysis of the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 on tomato infected with the crinivirus, Tomato chlorosis virus, identifies a temporal shift in gene expression and differential regulation of novel orphan genes

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

Submitted to: BMC Genomics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/2/2017
Publication Date: 5/11/2017
Citation: Kaur, N., Chen, W., Zheng, Y., Hasegawa, D.K., Ling, K., Fei, Z., Wintermantel, W.M. 2017. Transcriptome analysis of the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 on tomato infected with the crinivirus, Tomato chlorosis virus, identifies a temporal shift in gene expression and differential regulation of novel orphan genes. BMC Genomics. 18:370. doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3751-1.

Interpretive Summary: Whiteflies threaten agricultural crop production worldwide, have a wide host range, and transmit hundreds of plant viruses. Little information exists on how whitefly gene expression is altered due to feeding on plants infected with a semipersistently transmitted virus. Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV; genus Crinivirus, family Closteroviridae) is transmitted by the whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) in a semipersistent manner and infects several economically important agricultural and ornamental crops, including tomato. To determine changes in whitefly gene expression after feeding on tomato plants infected with a crinivirus (ToCV), comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed on whitefly (Bemisia tabaci MEAM1) populations after 24, 48, and 72 hour feeding periods on either ToCV-infected or uninfected tomatoes. Significant differential gene expression was detected between whiteflies fed on ToCV-infected tomato and those fed on uninfected tomato among the three feeding time periods, with differential regulation of genes associated with several important pathways. Results demonstrate for the first time, a specific response that varies over time when whiteflies feed on a host plant infected with a semipersistently transmitted virus, and advance the understanding of the whitefly vector-virus interactions that facilitate virus transmission.

Technical Abstract: Whiteflies threaten agricultural crop production worldwide, are polyphagous in nature, and transmit hundreds of plant viruses. Little information exists on how whitefly gene expression is altered due to feeding on plants infected with a semipersistently transmitted virus. Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV; genus Crinivirus, family Closteroviridae) is transmitted by the whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) in a semipersistent manner and infects several economically important agricultural and ornamental crops, including tomato. To determine changes in global gene regulation in whiteflies after feeding on tomato plants infected with a crinivirus (ToCV), comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed using RNA-Seq on whitefly (Bemisia tabaci MEAM1) populations after 24, 48, and 72 hour acquisition access periods on either ToCV-infected or uninfected tomatoes. Significant differential gene expression was detected between whiteflies fed on ToCV-infected tomato and those fed on uninfected tomato among the three feeding time periods: 447 up-regulated and 542 down-regulated at 24 h, 4 up-regulated and 7 down-regulated at 48 h, and 50 up-regulated and 160 down-regulated at 72 h. Analysis revealed differential regulation of genes associated with metabolic pathways, signal transduction, transport and catabolism, receptors, glucose transporters, a-glucosidases, and uric acid pathway in whiteflies fed on ToCV-infected tomatoes, as well as an abundance of differentially regulated orphan genes. Results demonstrate for the first time, a specific and temporally regulated response by the whitefly feeding on a host plant infected with a semipersistently transmitted virus, and advance the understanding of the whitefly vector-virus interactions that facilitate virus transmission. Whitefly transmission of semi-persistent viruses is believed to require specific interactions between the virus and its vector that allow binding of virus particles to factors within whitefly mouthparts. Results provide a broader understanding of the potential mechanism of crinivirus transmission by whitefly, providing new insights that may lead to an effective management model against whitefly and viruses with a semipersistent mode of transmission.