烟粉虱隐种传播双生病毒具有特异性，入侵我国的木尔坦棉花曲叶病毒（CLCuMuV）也由特定隐种传播。前期研究表明，烟粉虱AsiaⅡ7携带并成功传播该病毒，MED带毒不传毒，进一步发现两者带毒个体的自噬基因表达量存在显著差异。介体昆虫的自噬可以抑制或促进病毒传播，但烟粉虱隐种传毒特异性中的自噬作用及其分子机制不明。本项目以烟粉虱AsiaⅡ7、MED和CLCuMuV为对象，用透射电镜、免疫荧光检测和蛋白质印迹法验证烟粉虱对病毒的细胞自噬；用Atg引物从病毒诱导的AsiaⅡ7、MED中筛选高表达量自噬基因，并用自噬抑制剂和RNAi技术，研究关键自噬基因对病毒积累和传播的作用；利用免疫共沉淀和质谱分析鉴定与AsiaⅡ7关键自噬基因互作的病毒蛋白。最终阐明在烟粉虱传播CLCuMuV差异中自噬的分子机制，为探明烟粉虱与双生病毒特异性互作机理提供科学依据，为制定该病毒及其传播介体的检疫防控提供新思路。

Most plant begomoviruses rely specifically on whiteflies for dissemination. The newly invaded Cotton leaf curl Multan virus, CLCuMuV, one of the major begomoviruses associated with hibiscus leaf curl disease in South China, is transmitted by a few cryptic species. Our previous studies showed that AsiaⅡ7 cryptic species could transmit CLCuMuV, but MED could not and the expression of autophagy genes between the two cryptic species was significantly different. Insect vector can use autophagy as an intrinsic antiviral defense mechanism against viral infection, meanwhile viruses can evolve to exploit autophagy to promote their transmission by insect vectors. However, whether autophagy is involved in regulating the transmission of CLCuMuV among the two cryptic specie has not been clarified until now. In the study, we will conduct the main research work based on AsiaⅡ7, MED, and CLCuMuV as experimental materials as follows: (1) Detecting autophagy and autophagic flux when AsiaⅡ7 and MED infected CLCuMuV by transmission electron microscopy, immunofluorescence detection and western blot; (2) Identifying autophagy genes with higher expression level in the whiteflies after the viral infection; (3) Effects of autophagy genes on viral accumulation in a insect body and transmission among plants while autophagy inhibitor was fed to whiteflies and RNA interference technique was used to treat insects.(4) Detecting the proteins of CLCuMuV which are associated with the certain autophagic protein (ATG) of infected AsiaⅡ7 by immune coprecipitation and mass spectrometry. The clarification of molecular mechanism of autophagy in the transmission of CLCuMuV by AsiaⅡ7 and MED cryptic species of Bemisia tabaci will provide more evidence for exploring the specific interaction between whiteflies and viruses.