Abstract
Acquisition and transmission by an insect vector is central to the infection cycle of the majority of plant pathogenic viruses. Plant viruses can interact with their insect host in a variety of ways including both non-persistent and circulative transmission; in some cases, the latter involves virus replication in cells of the insect host. Replicating viruses can also elicit both innate and specific defense responses in the insect host. A consistent feature is that the interaction of the virus with its insect host/vector requires specific molecular interactions between virus and host, commonly via proteins. Understanding the interactions between plant viruses and their insect host can underpin approaches to protect plants from infection by interfering with virus uptake and transmission. Here, we provide a perspective focused on identifying novel approaches and research directions to facilitate control of plant viruses by better understanding and targeting virus–insect molecular interactions. We also draw parallels with molecular interactions in insect vectors of animal viruses, and consider technical advances for their control that may be more broadly applicable to plant virus vectors.
Highlights
Insects as Plant Virus VectorsThe majority of plant viruses that cause disease in agricultural crops rely on biotic vectors for transmission and survival [1]
The different modes of viral transmission by vectors include non-persistent, semi-persistent and persistent, whereby the transmission window to disseminate the virus to a new host plant after feeding on an infected plant by the vector lasts from seconds to minutes, hours to days, or days to weeks, respectively
Plant rhabdovirus glycoprotein (G) spikes on the surface of virions are predicted to interact with receptors in the midgut allowing virions to enter epithelial cells by endocytosis [4,75], but little is known about the molecular interactions of plant rhabdoviruses with their insect vectors and G protein receptors remain to be identified [76]
Summary
The majority of plant viruses that cause disease in agricultural crops rely on biotic vectors for transmission and survival [1]. Non-persistent plant viruses are retained in the insect stylet. Semi-persistent viruses are internalized in the insect by binding to chitin lining the gut, but do not appear to enter tissues. Persistent viruses are taken up into and retained by insect tissues and are characterized by invading the salivary glands [3]. Circulative viruses must escape the insect gut and spread to neighboring organs to reach the salivary glands for transmission [2,3]. This journey is Viruses 2016, 8, 303; doi:10.3390/v8110303 www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses. Which vector components are involved and how they function to facilitate transmission is still not well understood [6,7]
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