AUTHOR=Thesnim Pathukandathil , Jangra Sumit , Kumar Manish , Ghosh Amalendu 

TITLE=Effect of silencing Bemisia tabaci TLR3 and TOB1 on fitness and begomovirus transmission

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1136262

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1136262

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Bemisia tabaci</italic> (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is one of the most important invasive pests worldwide. It infests several vegetables, legumes, fiber, and ornamental crops. Besides causing direct damage by sucking plant sap, <italic>B. tabaci</italic> is the principal vector of begomoviruses. <italic>Chilli leaf curl virus</italic> (ChiLCV<italic>, Begomovirus</italic>) transmitted by <italic>B. tabaci</italic> is a major constraint in chilli production. <italic>B. tabaci</italic> genes associated with metabolism, signaling pathways, cellular processes, and organismal systems are highly enriched in response to ChiLCV infection. The previous transcriptome study suggested the association of <italic>B. tabaci Toll-like receptor 3</italic> (<italic>TLR3</italic>) and <italic>transducer of erbB2.1</italic> (<italic>TOB1</italic>) in ChiLCV infection. In the present study, <italic>B. tabaci TLR3</italic> and <italic>TOB1</italic> were silenced using double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and the effect on fitness and begomovirus transmission has been reported. Oral delivery of dsRNA at 3 µg/mL reduced the expression of <italic>B. tabaci TLR3</italic> and <italic>TOB1</italic> by 6.77 and 3.01-fold, respectively. Silencing of <italic>TLR3</italic> and <italic>TOB1</italic> induced significant mortality in <italic>B. tabaci</italic> adults compared to untreated control. The ChiLCV copies in <italic>B. tabaci</italic> significantly reduced post-exposure to <italic>TLR3</italic> and <italic>TOB1</italic> dsRNAs. The ability of <italic>B. tabaci</italic> to transmit ChiLCV also declined post-silencing <italic>TLR3</italic> and <italic>TOB1</italic>. This is the first-ever report of silencing <italic>B. tabaci TLR3</italic> and <italic>TOB1</italic> to induce mortality and impair virus transmission ability in <italic>B. tabaci</italic>. <italic>B. tabaci TLR3</italic> and <italic>TOB1</italic> would be novel genetic targets to manage <italic>B. tabaci</italic> and restrict the spread of begomovirus.</p>