Thrips and tospoviruses come of age: Mapping determinants of insect transmission

摘要

Insect vectors play a key role in dissemination of viruses that cause important diseases in humans, animals, and plants. Specific understanding of insect-virus interactions leading to successful transmission is a central problem in vector biology and critical to developing effective control strategies. In this issue of PNAS, Sin et al. provide evidence that the genetic determinants of insect trans-missibility for tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) reside on the middle RNA (M RNA) segment encoding the viral membrane glycoproteins (GPs) [N-terminal GP (G_N) and C-terminal GP(G_C)]. This virus is transmitted between plants by insects called thrips (Thripidae, Thysanoptera) and is the type member of the genus Tospovirus. The tospoviruses are the only plant-infecting members in the family Bunyaviridae, which consists of many viruses that cause diseases in animals and humans. Thus, tospoviruses and their thrips vectors are ideal model systems for elucidating processes of virus infection in disparate hosts that can be extended to viruses of importance to human health.