Open AccessTranscriptome analysis reveals a comprehensive insect resistance response mechanism in cotton to infestation by the phloem feeding insect Bemisia tabaci (whitefly)
Author(s) -
Li Jianying,
Zhu Lizhen,
Hull J. Joe,
Liang Sijia,
Daniell Henry,
Jin Shuangxia,
Zhang Xianlong
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
plant biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.525
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1467-7652
pISSN - 1467-7644
DOI - 10.1111/pbi.12554
Subject(s) - biology , whitefly , transcriptome , infestation , gene , rna interference , phloem , insect , greenhouse whitefly , rna silencing , genetics , wrky protein domain , gene silencing , botany , pest analysis , gene expression , rna , homoptera , trialeurodes
Summary The whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci ) causes tremendous damage to cotton production worldwide. However, very limited information is available about how plants perceive and defend themselves from this destructive pest. In this study, the transcriptomic differences between two cotton cultivars that exhibit either strong resistance ( HR ) or sensitivity ( ZS ) to whitefly were compared at different time points (0, 12, 24 and 48 h after infection) using RNA ‐Seq. Approximately one billion paired‐end reads were obtained by Illumina sequencing technology. Gene ontology and KEGG pathway analysis indicated that the cotton transcriptional response to whitefly infestation involves genes encoding protein kinases, transcription factors, metabolite synthesis, and phytohormone signalling. Furthermore, a weighted gene co‐expression network constructed from RNA ‐Seq datasets showed that WRKY 40 and copper transport protein are hub genes that may regulate cotton defenses to whitefly infestation. Silencing Gh MPK 3 by virus‐induced gene silencing ( VIGS ) resulted in suppression of the MPK ‐ WRKY ‐ JA and ET pathways and lead to enhanced whitefly susceptibility, suggesting that the candidate insect resistant genes identified in this RNA ‐Seq analysis are credible and offer significant utility. Taken together, this study provides comprehensive insights into the cotton defense system to whitefly infestation and has identified several candidate genes for control of phloem‐feeding pests.