The Amino-Proximal Region of the Coat Protein of Cucumber Vein Yellowing Virus (Family Potyviridae) Affects the Infection Process and Whitefly Transmission

Most plant viruses rely on vector transmission for their spread and specific interactions between vector and virus have evolved to regulate this relationship. The whitefly Bemisia tabaci- transmitted cucumber vein yellowing virus (CVYV; genus Ipomovirus, family Potyviridae) is endemic in the Mediterranean Basin, where it causes significant losses in cucurbit crops. In this study, the role of the coat protein (CP) of CVYV for B. tabaci transmission and plant infection was investigated using a cloned and infectious CVYV cDNA and a collection of point and deletion mutants derived from this clone. Whitefly transmission of CVYV was abolished in a deletion mutant lacking amino acids in position 93–105 of the CP. This deletion mutant caused more severe disease symptoms compared to the cDNA clone representing the wild-type (wt) virus and movement efficiency was likewise affected. Two virus mutants carrying a partially restored CP were transmissible and showed symptoms comparable to the wt virus. Collectively, our data demonstrate that the N-terminus of the CVYV CP is a determinant for transmission by the whitefly vector and is involved in plant infection and symptom expression.

Identification and Confirmation of Resistance in Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] Derivatives to Mungbean Yellow Mosaic Virus (MYMV)

Background: Mung bean Yellow Mosaic Virus (MYMV) is found to be one of the prime viral diseases of mungbean in Tamil Nadu state. Screening for MYMV resistance in field condition always remains a hassle for breeding society. The peculiar MYMV symptoms often failed in the field due to some factors such as environmental changes, whitefly genotypes, host factors etc. With the above perspective, the present study aimed to screen the mung bean derivatives against MYMV through a novel in vitro agroinoculation technique and further substantiation through whitefly transmission.Methods: Four interspecific derivatives (VGGRU 1, VGGRU 2, VGGRU 3 and VGGRU 4) generated by making crosses between mungbean VRM (Gg) 1 and rice bean (TNAU RED) along with the susceptible check VRM (Gg) 1 were agroinoculated with the MYMV infectious clone VA 239 (KA30 DNA A + KA27 DNA) and are further substantiated through whitefly transmission studies from the artificially reared whiteflies. Result: The agroinoculation results revealed that among the four interspecific derivatives, VGGRU 1 was found to be completely resistant to MYMV. The substantiation of the obtained result through whitefly transmission also revealed that 24 h Acquisition Access Period (AAP) and 24 h Inoculation Access Period (IAP) with Bemisia tabaci able to cause 65% infectivity in susceptible plant VRM (Gg) 1 and zero infectivity in VGGRU 1 and the results were PCR confirmed for the presence of viral DNA.

Mutations in the coat protein of a begomovirus result in altered transmission by different species of whitefly vectors

For many crop pathogens including viruses, high genetic variation provides them with potential to adapt to and prevail in a changing environment. Understanding genetic variation in viruses and their significance is a key to elaborate virus epidemiology and evolution. While genetic variation of plant viruses has been documented to impact virus–host interactions, how it affects virus–insect vector interactions remains elusive. Here, we report the impact of mutations in the coat protein of squash leaf curl China virus (SLCCNV), a begomovirus, on the interaction between the virus and its whitefly vectors. We characterized mutations in the coat protein of SLCCNV and found that some residues exhibited higher mutation frequency than the others. We assayed the impact of mutation on infectivity using agroinoculation and found these mutations marginally affect virus infectivity. We further analyze their functions using virus acquisition and transmission trials and found some of mutations resulted in altered transmission of SLCCNV by different species of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci complex. We then identified the key amino acid residue(s) involved by constructing several mutant viruses and found that a single-residue mutation in the coat protein of SLCCNV was sufficient to significantly alter the whitefly transmission characteristics of SLCCNV. We examined the competition between different genotypes of SLCCNV in plant infection and whitefly transmission. We found that mutations in the coat protein did not alter the fitness of SLCCNV in plants, but they rendered the virus more competitive in transmission by certain species of whiteflies. Our findings indicate that mutations in the coat protein may play a key role in both the adaptation of begomoviruses to the changing vector populations and the evolution of begomoviruses.

Cotton Leaf Curl Disease: Which Whitefly Is the Vector?

Cotton leaf curl disease is one of the most significant constraints to the production of cotton. In the past decades our understanding of the begomoviruses (family Geminiviridae) causing the disease has improved, but little is known regarding transmission of these viruses by the different species of whiteflies in the Bemisia tabaci complex. We compared transmission efficiency of cotton leaf curl Multan virus (CLCuMuV), one of the major begomoviruses associated with cotton leaf curl disease, by four whitefly species, of which two are indigenous to Asia and two are invasive worldwide. Only the indigenous Asia II 1 species was able to transmit this virus with high efficiency. By quantifying the virus and using immunoflorescence assays, we found that the differential transmission was associated with the varying efficiency of CLCuMuV to cross the midgut of various whitefly species. Further, we verified the role of coat protein in the whitefly transmission of CLCuMuV. Based on a phylogenetic analysis of the virus coat proteins, we found that most begomoviruses associated with cotton leaf curl disease might share similar whitefly transmission characteristics. These findings advance our understanding of the nature of cotton leaf curl disease and provide information for the development of control and preventive strategies against this disease.