New insights on the transmission mechanism of tenuiviruses by their vector insects

Tenuiviruses, which cause serious diseases in rice, wheat, maize and other gramineae crops, recently have been assigned to the family Phenuiviridae in the order Bunyavirales. Transmission of tenuiviruses to host plants depends on the specific vector planthoppers. The interaction between the virus and insect offers critical points for developing an efficient management strategy. This review focuses on recent advancements in our understanding of the interactions between the virus and insect components. Vector components such as various proteins play major roles in virus replication, stability and transovarial transmission. The virus can either directly interact with these proteins or regulate expression of genes that encode them to alter the metabolism or defense mechanisms of the insect vectors. However, the vector components that are involved in virus infection and movement in midgut and salivary glands are not as well explored and are targets for further study.