Transcriptome Analysis of Bemisia tabaci during Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) Acquisition and RNA Interference to Manage Whitefly-transmitted Viruses

Over 300 viruses are transmitted by the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, with 90% of them belonging to the genus, Begomovirus. Begomoviruses are obligately transmitted by whiteflies to a wide range of agriculture crops, resulting in billions of dollars lost annually, while jeopardizing food security worldwide. Several begomoviruses have emerged as being especially devastating, including Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). Although the utilization of pesticides has helped manage whiteflies, there is an increasing need to develop novel strategies that are effective at controlling whitefly populations, especially in regions where large-scale pesticide applications is impractical. Here, we discuss two pieces of data: 1) transcriptome analysis of whiteflies during the first three days (24 h, 48 h, and 72 h) of TYLCV acquisition and, 2) potential for using RNA interference technologies to manage whiteflies and begomovirus transmission. Our transcriptome revealed differential expression of only 41 genes at 24 h, 7 genes at 48 h, and 32 genes at 72 h, in which we identified candidate receptors, transporters, and other mechanisms that may be involved in TYLCV transmission. For the RNA interference studies, using double-stranded RNA delivered via artificial diets, we saw a high degree of variability among our constructs, with some being much more effective at inducing whitefly mortality than the others. Together, these studies will contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms driving whitefly-begomovirus interactions, while shedding light on new whitefly management strategies.