A sucrose-specific receptor in Bemisia tabaci and its putative role in phloem feeding.

ABSTRACT: In insects, specialized feeding on the phloem sap (containing mainly the sugar sucrose) has evolved only in some hemipteran lineages. This feeding behavior requires an ability to locate feeding sites buried deeply within the plant tissue. To determine the molecular mechanism involved, we hypothesized that the phloem-feeding whitefly Bemisia tabaci relies on gustatory receptor (GR)-mediated sugar sensing. We first conducted choice assays, which indicated that B. tabaci adults consistently choose diets containing higher sucrose concentrations. Next, we identified four GR genes in the B. tabaci genome. One of them, BtabGR1, displayed significant sucrose specificity when expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Silencing of BtabGR1 significantly interfered

SUBMITTER: Aidlin Harari O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10206433 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature