Virus, Chloroplast, and Insect Vector Interaction: Can We Use Yellowing to Control Disease?

Abstract

Reports had indicated that chloroplast might have a role in yellowing virus infection and this virus-chloroplast interaction could influence insect vector (Mauck, 2012; Schop, 2024). However, the biology of this tripartite virus-chloroplast-insect vector interaction surrounding yellowing symptoms still shrouded in mystery. In this project, we investigate how yellowing virus infection influence the structure and function of chloroplast and how this interaction then influence the transmission of virus by insect vector. Our pre-eliminary results, working with beet yellow virus (BYV), sugar beet, and green-peach aphid model system, revealed that the virus first systemic leaves detection using RT-PCR preceded the leaves yellowing appearance (7-8 and 13 days post inoculation, respectively), meaning that the virus was already in the plant even before symptom. Transmission electron microscopy analysis also suggested that BYV infection potentially influenced chloroplast structural change in plant, which might explain how yellowing appeared. We hypothesized that BYV modulate yellowing to attract insect vector to feed the plant and then transmitting the virus to other plant as a result. Yellowing phenomenon thus might be potential to be exploited to control insect vector behaviour and with that, also controlling the disease transmission. In Indonesian context, this project could be a fundamental science research model which investigate several aspect of sustainable agricultural practice and the results could be extrapolated to Indonesian specific agricultural plants. This is mainly because chloroplast present in all plants and aphid as an insect vector is cosmopolite in the world.