A plant virus manipulates both its host plant and the insect that facilitates its transmission
Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), a devastating pathogen of tomato crops, is vectored by the whitefly <i>Bemisia tabaci</i>, yet the mechanisms underlying TYLVC epidemics are poorly understood. We found that TYLCV triggers the up-regulation of two β-myrcene biosynthesis genes in tomato, leading to the attraction of nonviruliferous <i>B. tabaci</i>. We also identified BtMEDOR6 as a key whitefly olfactory receptor of β-myrcene involved in the distinct preference of <i>B. tabaci</i> MED for TYLCV-infected plants. TYLCV inhibits the expression of BtMEDOR6, canceling this preference and thereby facilitating TYLCV transmission to uninfected plants. Greenhouse experiments corroborated the role of β-myrcene in whitefly attraction. These findings reveal a sophisticated viral strategy whereby TYLCV modulates both host plant attractiveness and vector olfactory perception to enhance its spread.
Authors
- Wenlu Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0798-093X)
- Ted C. J. Turlings (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8315-785X)
- Wen Jie Xie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3220-1072)
- Qingjun Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0344-5561)
- Qi Su (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8207-2715)
- Xuguo Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1857-2337)
- Jie Ning (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5673-2604)
- Youjun Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3508-6695)
- Xin Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8159-6923)
- Zhaojiang Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4682-7241)
- Yang Zeng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3651-042X)
- Shaoli Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5170-6781)
- Jun Ren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8470-7684)
- Peng Liang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0462-8335)
- Xiaojie Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7846-0780)
Institutions
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Yangtze University (CN)
- Urbana University (US)
- Henan University of Engineering (CN)
- Institute of Plant Protection (CN)
- Hainan Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN)
- Institute of Vegetables and Flowers (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN)
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (CN)
- Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN)
- Hubei Normal University (CN)
- University of Neuchâtel (CH)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2025-02-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adr4563
- Citations
- 13
- Primary Topic
- Plant Virus Research Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 22.75