Cloning and relative expression of a virus-transmission related gene in Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius)
Author of the article:LIU Xin** YAN Wen-Qian ZHANG You-Jun WU Qing-Jun XIE Wen WANG Shao-Li ***
Author's Workplace：LIU Xin** YAN Wen-Qian ZHANG You-Jun WU Qing-Jun XIE Wen WANG Shao-Li ***
Key Words：Bemisia tabaci, tomato yellow leaf curl virus, virus-transmission related protein, qRT-PCR
Abstract：[Objectives] The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennaddius), is one of the most invasive insect pests in the world. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), transmitted by B. tabaci, has caused great losses to tomato production in China. In order to illustrate the mechanism of TYLCV transmission by B. tabaci, we studied the virus transmission-related gene (GroEL) and its expression in the B. tabaci B and Q. [Methods] The virus transmission-related gene, GroEL, encoded by the Hamiltonella endosymbiont of the B. tabaci B and Q, was cloned using specific primers and the resultant sequences were analyzed. The relative expressions of GroEL were measured using the qRT-PCR technique in B. tabaci that had fed on both healthy and viruliferous tomato plants. [Results] The results showed that the GroEL gene was 1 668 bp in full length, encoding 555 amino acids. There was 99.94% nucleotide sequence similarity and 99.82% amino acid homology in GroEL genes between the B. tabaci B and Q. GroEL expressions in viruliferous B. tabaci were significantly higher than in corresponding uninfected whiteflies. Also GroEL expression in the B. tabaci Q was proved to be significantly higher than B(P <0.05), regardless of whether the insects concerned were viruliferous or not. [Conclusion] GroEL expression was significantly higher in viruliferous whiteflies. Obvious differences in GroEL expression were exhibited between the B. tabaci B and Q, which might be one of reasons for their significant difference in efficiency of virus transmission.