Infection of tomato yellow leaf curl virus changes metabolites of the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci

Abstract

In this study, metabolite changes of Bemisia tabaci were investigated by Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) infection. Through statistical analysis, 38 metabolites were identified in both positive and negative ion modes. Insect attractants such as methyl-isoeugenol and isovaleric acid were up-regulated in TYLCV-infected whiteflies. TYLCV infection also increased the amount of naltrindole and isoprostane ((±) 5-iPF2α-VI), which affects the immune response and female reproduction. These results suggest that TYLCV infection can modulate immune response or reproductive behavior of whitefly.