Mutations in the coat protein of a begomovirus result in altered transmission by different species of whitefly vectors.

ABSTRACT: For many crop pathogens including viruses, high genetic variation provides them with potential to adapt to and prevail in a changing environment. Understanding genetic variation in viruses and their significance is a key to elaborate virus epidemiology and evolution. While genetic variation of plant viruses has been documented to impact virus-host interactions, how it affects virus-insect vector interactions remains elusive. Here, we report the impact of mutations in the coat protein of squash leaf curl China virus (SLCCNV), a begomovirus, on the interaction between the virus and its whitefly vectors. We characterized mutations in the coat protein of SLCCNV and found that some residues exhibited higher mutation frequency than the others. We assayed the impact of mutation on infectivity usi

SUBMITTER: Pan LL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7055206 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature