Investigation of Genetic and Phenotypic Heterogeneity in the Bacterial Endosymbionts of Aphids
EMSL Project ID
47191
Abstract
Aphids are sap-sucking insects that induce a necrotic reaction in host plants and transmit hundreds of destructive plant viruses. Luteoviruses are plant viruses vectored exclusively by aphids in a circulative manner, i.e., they circulate throughout the aphid body prior to transmission into a host plant. Luteoviruses cause disease with serious economic consequences in staple food and biofuel crops. Since there is no cure for plant virus infection, effective virus control depends on knowing which insect vectors to target and when to apply the control measures. Recently we discovered heritable and stable proteomic heterogeneity in the aphid Schizaphis graminum and its bacterial endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola that is linked to host virulence and virus transmission phenotypes in aphid populations collected from across a variety of geographic regions in the United States. One Buchnera genotype was a highly sensitive indicator of efficient virus vectoring capacity for luteoviruses.
Objective:
Our hypothesis is that Buchnera heterogeneity in S. graminum is affecting host virulence and/or virus transmission. If so, Buchnera should exhibit proteome variation that is due to interaction of its genotype with the genotype of the aphid upon virus acquisition. To test this, we will pursue a multi-pronged approach drawing upon the strength of the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory to integrate data from different methodologies.
Impact:
Delineating the role of Buchnera heterogeneity in inducing host plant necrosis and virus transmission will reveal which populations of S. graminum should be tightly controlled to avoid creating a reservoir of virus in biofuel cropping systems by identifying biomarkers for the populations of aphids most likely to transmit virus. A precision biomarker-based strategy to identify vector-competent or highly virulent insect populations will completely modernize the management of arthropod vectors. The proposed research may provide important clues to the generalist nature of S. graminum, i.e., their ability to survive on native or cultivated host plants, a key to understanding vector population dynamics and ecology when cultivated biofuel grasses are grown near to agricultural crops. Proposed studies will facilitate our long-term goal of designing precision pesticides that specifically disrupt virus-vector-Buchnera-plant interactions and spare beneficial and non-target insect species.
Why EMSL is critical to the success of the project:
A deep understanding of the multi-trophic interactions involved in circulative virus transmission demands a systems biology approach that can be uniquely provided by our interdisciplinary team of investigators and most importantly, our ability to access the suite of genomics and mass spectrometry instrumentation and scientific expertise available at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory.
Project Details
Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2012-04-02
End Date
2013-04-14
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members