title: Toxin delivery by the coat protein of an aphid-vectored plant virus provides plant resistance to aphids.
abstract: The sap-sucking insects (order Hemiptera), including aphids, planthoppers, whiteflies and stink bugs, present one of the greatest challenges for pest management in global agriculture. Insect neurotoxins offer an alternative to chemical insecticides for controlling these pests, but require delivery into the insect hemocoel. Here we use the coat protein of a luteovirus, an aphid-vectored plant virus, to deliver a spider-derived, insect-specific toxin that acts within the hemocoel. The luteovirid coat protein is sufficient for delivery of fused proteins into the hemocoel of pea aphids, Acyrthosiphon pisum, without virion assembly. We show that when four aphid pest species-A. pisum, Rhopalosiphum padi, Aphis glycines and Myzus persicae-feed on a recombinant coat protein-toxin fusion, either in an experimental membrane sachet or in transgenic Arabidopsis plants, they experience significant mortality. Aphids fed on these fusion proteins showed signs of neurotoxin-induced paralysis. Luteovirid coat protein-insect neurotoxin fusions represent a promising strategy for transgenic control of aphids and potentially other hemipteran pests.
authors: Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors: Bryony C
authors: BC
authors: Bonning
authors: Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors: Narinder
authors: N
authors: Pal
authors: Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors: Sijun
authors: S
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors: Zhaohui
authors: Z
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Sivakumar
authors: Department of Statistics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors: Philip M
authors: PM
authors: Dixon
authors: Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
authors: Glenn F
authors: GF
authors: King
authors: Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors: W Allen
authors: WA
authors: Miller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000235:genetics; D060467:Disease Resistance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D007306:Insecticides; D017793:Luteovirus / Q000235:genetics; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000235:genetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins; D007306:Insecticides; D009498:Neurotoxins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins