Abstract
BackgroundMost plant viruses rely on vectors for their transmission and spread. One of the outstanding biological questions concerning the vector-pathogen-symbiont multi-trophic interactions is the potential involvement of vector symbionts in the virus transmission process. Here, we used a multi-factorial system containing a non-persistent plant virus, cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), its primary vector, green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, and the obligate endosymbiont, Buchnera aphidicola to explore this uncharted territory.ResultsBased on our preliminary research, we hypothesized that aphid endosymbiont B. aphidicola can facilitate CMV transmission by modulating plant volatile profiles. Gene expression analyses demonstrated that CMV infection reduced B. aphidicola abundance in M. persicae, in which lower abundance of B. aphidicola was associated with a preference shift in aphids from infected to healthy plants. Volatile profile analyses confirmed that feeding by aphids with lower B. aphidicola titers reduced the production of attractants, while increased the emission of deterrents. As a result, M. persicae changed their feeding preference from infected to healthy plants.ConclusionsWe conclude that CMV infection reduces the B. aphidicola abundance in M. persicae. When viruliferous aphids feed on host plants, dynamic changes in obligate symbionts lead to a shift in plant volatiles from attraction to avoidance, thereby switching insect vector’s feeding preference from infected to healthy plants.
Highlights
Most plant viruses rely on vectors for their transmission and spread
cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)-infected plants release a greater quantity of volatiles than healthy plants, and aphids were attracted to infected plants [8]
CMV infection significantly reduced the abundance of B. aphidicola, and the Buchnera abundance was significantly lower in CMV-infected aphids than in the control aphids (F1, 4 = 2.474, P < 0.001)
Summary
Most plant viruses rely on vectors for their transmission and spread. We used a multi-factorial system containing a non-persistent plant virus, cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), its primary vector, green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, and the obligate endosymbiont, Buchnera aphidicola to explore this uncharted territory. Most of plant viruses are transmitted by arthropod vectors such as whiteflies and aphids. Plant viruses can directly or indirectly influence vector physiology and behavior to facilitate their transmission [1]. Viruses can alter plant volatiles to recruit insect vectors for efficient transmission [2, 3]. Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), genus Cucumovirus, family Bromoviridae, is one of the ten most devastating plant viruses [5, 6]. CMV is vectored by over 80 aphid species in a nonpersistent manner.
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