Plant Virus-Induced Inheritable Apoptosis Drives Reproductive Costs in Female Insect Vectors to Balance Viral Biparental Transmission.

ABSTRACT: Insect-borne pathogens often reduce the reproductive fitness of insect vectors. Rice gall dwarf virus (RGDV) is biparentally transmitted to the offspring of its leafhopper vector. However, maternal transmission of RGDV decreases female fecundity and disrupts egg development via an unknown mechanism. This study reveals that RGDV induces mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in leafhopper ovaries, promoting viral infection but impairing ovary development. This apoptosis is transmitted to eggs during maternal RGDV transmission, promoting viral infection while harming eggs. RGDV in the ovary activates insulin-like peptide-driven PI3K signaling but reverses the downstream AKT/FoxO signaling axis. This reversal activates FoxO, which in turn transcribes pro-apoptotic Bcl-2-related ovarian killer, trig

SUBMITTER: Wu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12849885 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature