The corn planthopper, Peregrinus maidis, is a widely distributed insect pest which serves as a vector of two phytopathogenic viruses, Maize mosaic virus (MMV) and Maize stripe virus (MStV). It transmits the viruses in a persistent and propagative manner. MMV is an alphanucleorhabdovirus with a negative-sense, single-stranded (ss) RNA unsegmented genome. One identified insect vector protein that may serve as receptor to MMV is Syntaxin-18 (PmStx18) which belongs to the SNAREs (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors). SNAREs play major roles in the final stage of docking and subsequent fusion of diverse vesicle-mediated transport events. In this work, in silico analysis of the interaction of MMV glycoprotein (MMV G) and PmStx18 was performed. Various freely available protein-protein docking web servers were used to predict the 3D complex of MMV G
The corn planthopper, Peregrinus maidis, is a widely distributed insect pest which serves as a vector of two phytopathogenic viruses, Maize mosaic virus (MMV) and Maize stripe virus (MStV). It transmits the viruses in a persistent and propagative manner. MMV is an alphanucleorhabdovirus with a negative-sense, single-stranded (ss) RNA unsegmented genome. One identified insect vector protein that may serve as receptor to MMV is Syntaxin-18 (PmStx18) which belongs to the SNAREs (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors). SNAREs play major roles in the final stage of docking and subsequent fusion of diverse vesicle-mediated transport events. In this work, in silico analysis of the interaction of MMV glycoprotein (MMV G) and PmStx18 was performed. Various freely available protein-protein docking web servers were used to predict the 3D complex of MMV G and PmStx18. Analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) count showed that the complex predicted by the ZDOCK server has the highest number of interaction and highest affinity, as suggested by the calculated solvation free energy gain upon formation of the interface (ΔiG = −31 kcal/mol). Molecular dynamics simulation of the complex revealed important interactions at the interface over the course of 50 ns. This is the first in silico analysis performed for the interaction on a putative receptor of P. maidis and MMV G. The results of the protein-protein interaction prediction provide novel information for studying the role of STX18 in the transport, docking and fusion events involved in virus particle transport in the insect vector cells and its release.
A new report of Stenocranus near pseudopacificus Kirkaldy is documented as an insect pest of corn in Kalinga, Luzon, Philippines. As the identification of this insect species was done only again in the first quarter of 2021, work understanding its biology and life history is in its infancy compared to other planthoppers with corn as the primary plant host, which may share similar genome organization and vectorial capacity to transmit phytopathogens. Very little knowledge is known regarding its biological and ecological characteristics. Here, the number of nymphal stages of S. nr. pseudopacificus – as well as its longevity on corn – were determined. Morphological identification of S. nr. pseudopacificus indicated that these planthoppers have whitish vertex slightly broader in the apex, reddish-brown band between median and lateral carinae running down to the frons, and similar built and yellow-orange coloration to S. pacificus Kirkaldy except in genitalia. To check for the longevity and life stages of S. nr. pseudopacificus Kirkaldy a total of 150 macropterous adults were collected from a local corn field in Tabuk City, Kalinga. Results showed that S. nr. pseudopacificus has four nymphal stages. Moreover, the incubation period of eggs was 11–12 d, first nymphal (N1) stage lasted for 4-–5 d, 3–6 d for the second nymphal stage (N2), 6–7 d for the third nymphal stage (N3), 2–6 d for fourth nymphal stage (N4), and 9–13 d for the adult stage. Based on these results, it was found that S. nr. pseudopacificus completes its life cycle, excluding its egg incubation period, from 24–37 d. The results of this study provided relevant new information about this species’ life-history traits. Its presence in the key corn planting region of the country merits further data and survey collection for its impact on corn production.
The corn planthopper, Peregrinus maidis, is a widely distributed insect pest which serve as vector of two plant pathogenic viruses, Maize mosaic virus (MMV) and Maize stripe virus (MStV). It transmits the viruses in a persistent, circulative, and propagative manner. MMV is an alphanucleorhabdovirus with a negative-sense, single-stranded (ss) RNA unsegmented genome. Previous work using the membrane-based yeast two hybrid system on this pathosystem identified potential receptors for MMV. One identified insect vector protein is Syntaxin-18 (PmSTX18) which belongs to the SNAREs (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors) family of proteins. SNAREs play major roles in the final stage of the docking and the subsequent fusion of diverse vesicle-mediated transport events. In this work, in silico analysis of the interaction of MMV glycoprotein (MMV G) and PmSTX18 was performed. Functional annotation of PmSTX18 and MMV G was done to develop a reliable model for PmSTX18—MMV G interaction. Analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) prediction used sequence-based and structure-based approaches. Results showed that the four best predicted docked complexes have 45, 42, 22 and 27 amino acid interacting residues with binding affinities (change in Gibbs free energy, ΔG) of -57.73, -57.05, -52.55, and -51.69, respectively, suggesting strong interactions. This is the first in silico analysis performed for the interaction on a putative receptor of P. maidis and MMV G. The results of the PPI prediction provide novel information for studying the role of STX18 in the transport, docking and fusion events of the virus in the insect vector host.
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