The genome of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum lacks genes thought to be crucial in other insects for recognition, signaling and killing of microbes.

Background: The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), is a world-wide insect pest capable of infesting more than 40 plant families, including many crop species. However, despite the significant damage inflicted by M. persicae in agricultural systems through direct feeding damage and by its ability to transmit plant viruses, limited genomic information is available for this species.

Yellow dwarf viruses in the family Luteoviridae, which are the causal agents of yellow dwarf disease in cereal crops, are each transmitted most efficiently by different species of aphids in a circulative manner that requires the virus to interact with a multitude of aphid proteins. Aphid proteins differentially expressed in F2 Schizaphis graminum genotypes segregating for the ability to transmit Cereal yellow dwarf virus-RPV (CYDV-RPV) were identified using two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE) coupled to either matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-tandem mass spectrometry or online nanoscale liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 50 protein spots, containing aphid proteins and proteins from the aphid's obligate and maternally inherited bacterial endosymbiont, Buchnera, were identified as differentially expressed between transmission-competent and refractive aphids. Surprisingly, in virus transmission-competent F2 genotypes, the isoelectric points of the Buchnera proteins did not match those in the maternal Buchnera proteome as expected, but instead they aligned with the Buchnera proteome of the transmission-competent paternal parent. Among the aphid proteins identified, many were involved in energy metabolism, membrane trafficking, lipid signaling, and the cytoskeleton. At least eight aphid proteins were expressed as heritable, isoelectric point isoform pairs, one derived from each parental lineage. In the F2 genotypes, the expression of aphid protein isoforms derived from the competent parental lineage aligned with the virus transmission phenotype with high precision. Thus, these isoforms are candidate biomarkers for CYDV-RPV transmission in S. graminum. Our combined genetic and DIGE approach also made it possible to predict where several of the proteins may be expressed in refractive aphids with different barriers to transmission. Twelve proteins were predicted to act in the hindgut of the aphid, while six proteins were predicted to be associated with the accessory salivary glands or hemolymph. Knowledge of the proteins that regulate virus transmission and their predicted locations will aid in understanding the biochemical mechanisms regulating circulative virus transmission in aphids, as well as in identifying new targets to block transmission.

Zebra Chip disease is a serious threat to potato production. The pathogen, the phloem-limited bacterium 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum,' is vectored by the potato and tomato psyllid Bactericerca cockerelli to potato and tomato. Patterns of pathogen translocation through phloem in potato and tomato plants were examined to determine whether rate or direction of translocation vary by host species or potato cultivars. Two insects were given a 7-day inoculation access period on a single leaf. Weekly, leaves from upper-, middle-, and lower-tier branches were tested for the presence of 'Ca. L. solanacearum' by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In tomato and potato, 'Ca. L. solanacearum' was detected 2 to 3 weeks after infestation, most frequently in upper- and middle-tier leaves. In potato, the pathogen was detected in leaves on a second, noninfested stem when the stems remained joined via the tuber. Although rates of pathogen movement were similar among potato cultivars, symptoms developed earlier in more susceptible cultivars. Quantitative PCR indicated that bacterial titers were frequently low in tomato and potato samples (<20 genome units per nanogram of DNA). Results establish that, for improved detection, samples should include newly developing leaves and consider that, under low insect pressure, the pathogen may be undetectable by PCR until 3 weeks after infestation.