TY - JOUR
T1 - Transmission of a new polerovirus infecting pepper by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci
AU - Ghosh, Saptarshi
AU - Kanakala, Surapathrudu
AU - Lebedev, Galina
AU - Kontsedalov, Svetlana
AU - Silverman, David
AU - Alon, Tamar
AU - Mor, Neta
AU - Sela, Noa
AU - Luria, Neta
AU - Dombrovsky, Aviv
AU - Mawassi, Munir
AU - Haviv, Sabrina
AU - Czosnek, Henryk
AU - Ghanim, Murad
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Many animal and plant viruses depend on arthropods for their transmission. Virus-vector interactions are highly specific, and only one vector or one of a group of vectors from the same family is able to transmit a given virus. Poleroviruses (Luteoviridae) are phloem-restricted RNA plant viruses that are exclusively transmitted by aphids. Multiple aphid-transmitted polerovirus species commonly infect pepper, causing vein yellowing, leaf rolling, and fruit discoloration. Despite low aphid populations, a recent outbreak with such severe symptoms in many bell pepper farms in Israel led to reinvestigation of the disease and its insect vector. Here we report that this outbreak was caused by a new whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)-transmitted polerovirus, which we named Pepper whitefly-borne vein yellows virus (PeWBVYV). PeWBVYV is highly (95%) homologous to Pepper vein yellows virus (PeVYV) from Israel and Greece on its 5ʹ end half, while it is homologous to African eggplant yellows virus (AeYV) on its 3ʹ half. Koch’s postulates were proven by constructing a PeWBVYV infectious clone causing the pepper disease, which was in turn transmitted to test pepper plants by B. tabaci but not by aphids. PeWBVYV represents the first report of a whitefly-transmitted polerovirus. IMPORTANCE The high specificity of virus-vector interactions limits the possibility of a given virus changing vectors. Our report describes a new virus from a family of viruses strictly transmitted by aphids which is now transmitted by whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) and not by aphids. This report presents the first description of polerovirus transmission by whiteflies. Whiteflies are highly resistant to insecticides and disperse over long distances, carrying virus inoculum. Thus, the report of such unusual polerovirus transmission by a supervector has extensive implications for the epidemiology of the virus disease, with ramifications concerning the international trade of agricultural commodities.
AB - Many animal and plant viruses depend on arthropods for their transmission. Virus-vector interactions are highly specific, and only one vector or one of a group of vectors from the same family is able to transmit a given virus. Poleroviruses (Luteoviridae) are phloem-restricted RNA plant viruses that are exclusively transmitted by aphids. Multiple aphid-transmitted polerovirus species commonly infect pepper, causing vein yellowing, leaf rolling, and fruit discoloration. Despite low aphid populations, a recent outbreak with such severe symptoms in many bell pepper farms in Israel led to reinvestigation of the disease and its insect vector. Here we report that this outbreak was caused by a new whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)-transmitted polerovirus, which we named Pepper whitefly-borne vein yellows virus (PeWBVYV). PeWBVYV is highly (95%) homologous to Pepper vein yellows virus (PeVYV) from Israel and Greece on its 5ʹ end half, while it is homologous to African eggplant yellows virus (AeYV) on its 3ʹ half. Koch’s postulates were proven by constructing a PeWBVYV infectious clone causing the pepper disease, which was in turn transmitted to test pepper plants by B. tabaci but not by aphids. PeWBVYV represents the first report of a whitefly-transmitted polerovirus. IMPORTANCE The high specificity of virus-vector interactions limits the possibility of a given virus changing vectors. Our report describes a new virus from a family of viruses strictly transmitted by aphids which is now transmitted by whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) and not by aphids. This report presents the first description of polerovirus transmission by whiteflies. Whiteflies are highly resistant to insecticides and disperse over long distances, carrying virus inoculum. Thus, the report of such unusual polerovirus transmission by a supervector has extensive implications for the epidemiology of the virus disease, with ramifications concerning the international trade of agricultural commodities.
KW - Aphid
KW - Bemisia tabaci
KW - Circulative
KW - Polerovirus
KW - Transmission
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85070056019&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1128/JVI.00488-19
DO - 10.1128/JVI.00488-19
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C2 - 31092571
AN - SCOPUS:85070056019
SN - 0022-538X
VL - 93
JO - Journal of Virology
JF - Journal of Virology
IS - 15
M1 - e00488-19
ER -