Project description:The saliva from Bemisia tabaci (MED biotype) adults was collected using an artificial feeding system and analyzed using an LC-MS/MS proteomics analysis.
Project description:Begomoviruses, the largest, most damaging and emerging group of plant viruses in the world, infect hundreds of plant species and new virus species of the group are discovered each year. They are transmitted by species of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is one of the most devastating begomoviruses worldwide and causes major losses in tomato crops as well as in many more agriculturally important plant species. Different B. tabaci populations vary in their virus transmission abilities; the causes for these differences are attributed among others to genetic diversity of vector populations, as well as to differences in the bacterial symbiont flora of the insects. Here, we performed discovery proteomic analyses in nine whiteflies populations from both B (MEAM1) and Q (MED) species with different TYLCV transmission abilities. The results provide the first comprehensive list of candidate insect and bacterial symbiont (mainly Rickettsia) proteins associated with virus transmission. Efficient vector populations from two different B. tabaci species over-expressed or downregulated expression of proteins belonging to two different molecular pathways.
Project description:The whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) causes tremendous losses to agriculture by direct feeding on plants and by vectoring several families of plant viruses. The B. tabaci species complex comprises over 10 genetic groups (biotypes) that are well defined by DNA markers and biological characteristics. B and Q are amongst the most dominant and damaging biotypes, differing considerably in fecundity, host range, insecticide resistance, virus vectoriality, and the symbiotic bacteria they harbor. We used a spotted B. tabaci cDNA microarray to compare the expression patterns of 6,000 ESTs of B and Q biotypes under standard 25°C regime and heat stress at 40°C. Overall, the number of genes affected by increasing temperature in the two biotypes was similar. Gene expression under 25ºC normal rearing temperature showed clear differences between the two biotypes: B exhibited higher expression of mitochondrial genes, and lower cytoskeleton, heat-shock and stress-related genes, compared to Q. Exposing B-biotype whiteflies to heat stress was accompanied by rapid alteration of gene expression. For the first time, the results here present differences in gene expression between very closely related and sympatric B. tabaci biotypes, and suggest that these clear-cut differences are due to better adaptation of one biotype over another and might eventually lead to changes in the local and global distribution of both biotypes.
Project description:The whitefly Bemisa tabaci is a species complex of more than 31 cryptic species which include some of the most destructive invasive pests of many ornamental and glasshouse crops worldwide. Among them, Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (herein MEAM1) and Mediterranean (herein MED) have invaded many countries around the world and displaced the native whitefly species. However, the molecular differences between invasive and indigenous whiteflies remain largely unknown. The global transcriptional difference between the two invasive whitefly Bemisia tabaci species (MEAM1, MED) and one indigenous whitefly species (Asia II 3) were analyzed using the Illumina sequencing technology.