Project description:Plant response to insect feeding appears to be highly specific with regard to the organisms in the system. Here, we report on the interaction between grapevine Vitis vinifera plants and a phloem-feeding insect pest, the vine mealybug Planococcus ficus. Plants were exposed to P. ficus for periods of 6 hours and 96 hours, after which they were analysed for gene expression levels using microarrays and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Both methods showed that grapevine displayed only a minimal response to mealybug feeding at the transcript level at both time periods. Intermediate grapevine exposure times (24, 48 and 72 hours) to P. ficus feeding were investigated using qPCR analysis of ten additional genes associated with known plant defense responses. Results showed that only a single gene, pathogenesis-related protein 1, was differentially expressed after 48 hours of mealybug feeding. During the course of mealybug feeding, however, a number of other genes were significantly up- or down-regulated at certain time points. Thus, it appears as if grapevine responds minimally to feeding by P. ficus as well as within a very narrow time period. The relative lack of grapevine plant defense mechanisms may be a result of the feeding strategies of mealybugs.
Project description:Plant response to insect feeding appears to be highly specific with regard to the organisms in the system. Here, we report on the interaction between grapevine Vitis vinifera plants and a phloem-feeding insect pest, the vine mealybug Planococcus ficus. Plants were exposed to P. ficus for periods of 6 hours and 96 hours, after which they were analysed for gene expression levels using microarrays and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Both methods showed that grapevine displayed only a minimal response to mealybug feeding at the transcript level at both time periods. Intermediate grapevine exposure times (24, 48 and 72 hours) to P. ficus feeding were investigated using qPCR analysis of ten additional genes associated with known plant defense responses. Results showed that only a single gene, pathogenesis-related protein 1, was differentially expressed after 48 hours of mealybug feeding. During the course of mealybug feeding, however, a number of other genes were significantly up- or down-regulated at certain time points. Thus, it appears as if grapevine responds minimally to feeding by P. ficus as well as within a very narrow time period. The relative lack of grapevine plant defense mechanisms may be a result of the feeding strategies of mealybugs. Eight samples were analysed. Two replicates each were included for each treatment (6 hour and 96 hour feeding), resulting in four samples. Two control replicates were included for each treatment (6 hour and 96 hour feeding controls), resulting in a further four samples.
Project description:Symbiotic microbiota associated with two mealybug species Paracoccus marginatus (Papaya mealybug) and Ferrisia virgata (Two-tailed mealybug)
Project description:Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted positive-sense RNA virus in the family Flaviviridae. ZIKV infections are associated with neurodevelopmental deficiencies termed Congenital Zika Syndrome. ZIKV strains are grouped into three phylogenetic lineages: East African, West African, and Asian, which contains the American lineage. RNA virus genomes exist as genetically-related sequences. The heterogeneity of these viral populations is implicated in viral fitness, and genome diversity is correlated to virulence. This study examines genetic diversity of representative ZIKV strains from all lineages utilizing next generation sequencing (NGS). Inter-lineage diversity results indicate that ZIKV lineages differ broadly from each other; however, intra-lineage comparisons of American ZIKV strains isolated from human serum or placenta show differences in diversity when compared to ZIKVs from Asia and West Africa. This study describes the first comprehensive NGS analysis of all ZIKV lineages and posits that sub-consensus-level diversity may provide a framework for understanding ZIKV fitness during infection.