Abstract
Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is an important pest of cotton causing direct damage as sap feeder and vector of Cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV). Previous few studies suggest that female whiteflies are more efficient vector of begomovirusthan males, however the sex-biased transmission efficiency is still not clearly understood. Present studies with B. tabaci AsiaII-1 haplotype showed higher virus transmission efficiency of females compared to males. This variable begomovirus transmission efficiency has been related to previously identifiedkey factors associated with B. tabaci. The higher density of endosymbiont Arsenophonus and variable expression of some midgut proteins genes i.e. Cyclophilin, Knottin, Hsp40, Hsp70 may be possibly imparting higher vector competency to the females compared to males. The present studies suggest low abundance of Arsenophonus spp. as well as lower expressionof Cyclophilin genein males as compared to females. This is further supplemented by overexpression of Knottin, Hsp40, and Hsp70 genes in males compared to females and thus collectively all these factors might be playing a key role in low virus transmission efficiency of males. The relative density of Arsenophonus spp. and expression of midgut proteins genes in male and female whitefly first time enriches our understanding about sex-biased transmission efficiency of begomovirus.
Highlights
The cotton whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) comprises a complex of morphologically indistinguishable species that cause considerable losses to numerous crops both as pest and vector of plant viruses globally [1]
Cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV) has been classified into five major species which include Cotton leaf curl Kokharan virus (CLCuKoV), Cotton leaf curl Multan virus (CLCuMuV), Cotton leaf curl Allahabad virus (CLCuAlV); Cotton leaf curl Bangalore virus (CLCuBaV) and Cotton leaf curl Gezira virus (CLCuGeV) present across different cotton growing regions of world [11]
No significant difference was observed in CLCuMuV-Ra expression in both female and male whiteflies n = 5 and n = 20, as the single whitefly tend to retain the same amount of CLCuMuV-Ra titer but when we compare the expression of CLCuMuV-Ra on sex basis, female tends to retain higher virus load (80%) compared to males (Fig 1C and 1D)
Summary
The cotton whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) comprises a complex of morphologically indistinguishable species that cause considerable losses to numerous crops both as pest and vector of plant viruses globally [1]. CLCuV has been classified into five major species which include Cotton leaf curl Kokharan virus (CLCuKoV), Cotton leaf curl Multan virus (CLCuMuV), Cotton leaf curl Allahabad virus (CLCuAlV); Cotton leaf curl Bangalore virus (CLCuBaV) and Cotton leaf curl Gezira virus (CLCuGeV) present across different cotton growing regions of world [11] Both virus and vector have strong molecular interactions and due to a wide host range of species complex new viral species are evolving, which pose a serious threat to cotton cultivation in many cotton growing countries. The Asia II-1 haplotype has been found to be closely associated with CLCuD incidence in the north-western region of India, while south India native population belongs to Asia-1 and recorded CLCuD incidents are very low when compared to the northwestern zone This disease-specific geographic distribution pattern of whitefly haplotypes had prompted several questions regarding the transmission of CLCuV. The finding of this study will advance our understanding regarding the sex-biased key players involved in CLCuV transmission
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