A method for establishing a Bemisia tabaci population infected with Rickettisa massilia
Author of the article:YANG Yi-Ting** ZHANG Yan GUO Jian-Yang GUO Jian-Ying*** WAN Fang-Hao***
Author's Workplace：State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Key Words： Bemisia tabaci, endosymbionts, Rickettisa, population establishment
Abstract：[Objectives] The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadaius), is widely distributed in over more than 90 countries and all the world’s regions except Antarctica. Because of its wide host range and capacity to cause serious damage to agricultural crops this species is a particularly destructive pest. The endosymbionts of B. tabaci contribute both to its distribution and host fitness. However, most of these endosymbionts are secondary ones that are very difficult to culture in vitro. [Methods] Whiteflies were collected and reared in a laboratory. One pair of species-specific PCR primers based on a fragment of the known mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidaseⅠ(mtDNA COⅠ)sequence was used to diagnose the biotype of the collected specimens. Next, a specific primer was designed to detect whitefly endosymbionts. [Results] The biotype of the B. tabaci specimens collected was MED (previously called the Q biotype). After five generations of population screening, a stable whitefly population carrying and transmitting the endosymbiont Rickettsia to subsequent generations was established. [Conclusion] The method can produce a stable Rickettsia-infected whitefly population, which is useful for studying the interactions between whiteflies, their endosymbionts, and host plants. This method lays a foundation for investigating the role of Rickettsia in the biology of B. tabaci.