ISHS Acta Horticulturae 695: I International Symposium on Tomato Diseases
DECIPHERING CHANGES IN PLANT PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO WHITEFLY FEEDING USING MICROARRAY TECHNOLOGY |
| Authors: | C.L. McKenzie, X.H. Sisisterra, C.A. Powell, M. Bausher, J.P. Albano, R.G. Shatters Jr. |
| Keywords: | tomato, RNA profiling, Bemisia argentifolii, Bemisia tabaci B biotype, silverleaf whitefly, tomato irregular ripening disorder |
| Abstract:
Gene array technology was applied to tomato as a model system to examine plant physiological response to silverleaf whitefly (SLW), Bemisia argentifolii (a.k.a. Bemisia tabaci biotype B) feeding. Our objective was to study gene expression in tomato plants subjected to a moderate infestation of whitefly. Plants were destructively harvested 25 days after infestation and samples of old and young leaves, stems, roots, flowers and fruit from tomato with and without whitefly were processed for nutritional analysis and RNA extraction for microarray analysis. RNA was labeled and hybridized to the gene array membrane to determine which genes SLW feeding influences. At 25 days after infestation, no discernable differences could be detected between plants with and without whitefly with the exception of uninfested plants possessing more flower buds. Whitefly pressure at harvest was moderate: 0.25 eggs per 50 mm2, 0.04 nymphs per 50 mm2 and 0.52 adult whiteflies per leaflet. Plant nutritional profiles for plants with and without whitefly were not significantly different and were adequate for tomato production. RNA profiling results indicated 277 genes were up or down regulated in response to whitefly feeding and based on sequence similarity analysis we determined that selected genes were likely to be involved in developmental regulation, stress response, wound response, and ethylene production. | |
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