Transmission parameters of pepper whitefly-borne vein yellows virus (PeWBVYV) by Bemisia tabaci and identification of an insect protein with a putative role in polerovirus transmission

Pepper crops in Israel are infected by poleroviruses, Pepper vein yellows virus 2 (PeVYV-2) and Pepper whiteflyborne vein yellows virus (PeWBVYV). Herein we characterize the transmission of PeWBVYV and the aphidtransmitted PeVYV-2, and show that PeWBVYV is specifically transmitted by MEAM1 species of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, with a minimum latency period of 120 h, and not by the Mediterranean (MED). PeWBVYV and PeVYV-2 were detected in the hemolymph of MED and MEAM1, respectively, however, amounts of PeWBVYV in the hemolymph of MED or PeVYV-2 in MEAM1 were much lower than PeWBVYV in hemolymph of MEAM1. Moreover, we show that PeWBVYV does not interact with the GroEL protein of the symbiont Hamiltonella and thus does not account for the non-transmissibility by MED. An insect glycoprotein, C1QBP, interacting in vitro with the capsid proteins of both PeWBVYV and PeVYV-2 is reported which suggests a putative functional role in polerovirus transmission.

Automated summary

The study showed that PeWBVYV is specifically transmitted by the MEAM1 species of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, with much higher amounts detected in the hemolymph compared to PeVYV-2. Additionally, an insect glycoprotein, C1QBP, was reported to interact with the capsid proteins of both PeWBVYV and PeVYV-2, suggesting a putative functional role in polerovirus transmission.