BREAD: Novel Biomarkers that Rapidly Identify Insect Populations that are Efficient Vectors of Circulative Plant Viruses

Pi：Stewart Gray(USDA-ARS/Cornell University)共同PI Michael MacCoss(华盛顿大学)和Lava Kumar[尼日利亚国际热带农业研究所(IITA)]高级人员：Michelle Cilia[USDA-ARS，Ithaca，NY]，Michael Bereman(华盛顿大学)，Alvin Simmons[USDA-ARS，Charleston，SC]和Rachid Hanna[喀麦隆国际热带农业研究所(IITA)]]控制动植物病毒的昆虫传播是农业和人类健康面临的最大挑战之一，也是比尔和梅林达·盖茨基金会在其全球卫生大挑战倡议中概述的七个目标之一。黄绿病毒科、纳米病毒科和双生病毒科的植物病毒在撒哈拉以南非洲的许多主要粮食作物中引起严重的经济后果的疾病，大多数是以循环、持久的方式传播的蚜虫和粉虱。旨在减少或避免感染的文化和化学控制策略可能是有效的；然而，它们的成功取决于对昆虫媒介种群动态的了解，包括它们传播病毒的效率。这是具有挑战性的，因为即使在同一物种内，昆虫种群在病毒传播效率方面也存在很大差异，使得有针对性的管理策略几乎是不可能的。最近，一些蛋白质生物标志物被发现，它们可以区分能够传播这些传播病毒的蚜虫种群和那些不能传播病毒的种群。该项目将确定这些生物标记物是否可以用来识别传播类似传播病毒的其他蚜虫和粉虱物种的媒介种群，这些病毒影响撒哈拉以南非洲和世界其他地区的广泛主要粮食作物。如果确定了共同的或特定于物种的生物标记物，它们可以用于快速识别那些作为有效病毒载体的昆虫种群，并针对它们应用病毒疾病管理策略。有针对性的病媒控制将减少杀虫剂和其他作物投入的不必要使用。在许多情况下，非病毒媒介的昆虫不会对作物整体健康造成损害。这种有针对性的方法将有助于最大限度地减少种植系统内和种植系统之间的病毒传播，并将使资源匮乏、粮食不安全的国家不成比例地受益。明智地使用基于风险信息的作物投入，而不是持续的预防性应用，可以带来经济、环境和健康方面的好处。事实上，有针对性的病虫害综合管理方法有可能为农民提供最好的植物病毒保护形式：及早和快速检测媒介物种并避免感染。该项目将侧重于解决必要的关键技术组成部分，使小农能够获得先进的方法来控制传播一些最具经济破坏性的植物病毒的昆虫。宣传和教育部分的重点是执行一条管道，以便最终在非洲部署一项以最重要的昆虫媒介物种为目标的实地化验。病毒传播分析和基因测序产生的所有生物信息将通过出版物、长期储存库(NCBI、USDA-ARS)和项目网站提供给科学界，并在会议上直接提供给病虫害综合防治(IPM)和农业利益攸关方。数据将汇编成一本供小农使用的手册，通过非洲农技师协会的推广专家在整个非洲迅速传播。所有原始的质谱学数据文件、天际线文档、MS/MS谱库以及使用天际线生成的改进的靶向蛋白质组学仪器方法都将在http://proteome.gs.washington.edu.上提供

PI: Stewart Gray (USDA-ARS/Cornell University)Co-PI Michael MacCoss (University of Washington) and Lava Kumar [International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nigeria]Senior Personnel: Michelle Cilia [USDA-ARS, Ithaca, NY], Michael Bereman (University of Washington), Alvin Simmons [USDA-ARS, Charleston, SC], and Rachid Hanna [International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Cameroon]Control of insect vectors of plant and animal viruses is arguably one of the biggest challenges to agriculture and human health and is one of the seven goals outlined by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in its Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative. Plant viruses in the families, Luteoviridae, Nanoviridae, and Geminiviridae, cause diseases with serious economic consequences in many staple food crops in Sub-Saharan Africa and a majority are transmitted aphids and whiteflies in a circulative, persistent manner. Cultural and chemical control strategies, aimed at reducing or avoiding infection, can be effective; however, their success is dependent upon knowledge of the population dynamics of the insect vectors, including their efficiency to transmit viruses. This is challenging because populations of insects, even within the same species, vary widely in their efficiency of virus transmission making targeted management strategies nearly impossible. Recently several protein biomarkers were identified that distinguish aphid populations capable of transmitting these circulating viruses from those that are incapable of transmitting the virus. This project will determine if these biomarkers can be used to identify vector competent populations of other aphid and whitefly species that transmit similar circulating viruses affecting a wide range staple food crops in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere in the world. If common or species-specific biomarkers are identified, they can be used to rapidly identify those insect populations that are efficient virus vectors and target them for application of virus disease management strategies. Targeted vector control will reduce the unnecessary application of pesticides and other crop inputs. In many cases the insects that are not vectors of viruses are not injurious to overall crop health. This targeted approach will help to minimize virus transmission within and between cropping systems, and will disproportionately benefit the resource poor, food insecure nations. The judicious use of crop inputs based on risk information rather than continual prophylactic applications has economic, environmental and health benefits. Indeed, a targeted approach to integrated pest management has the potential to provide farmers with the best form of plant virus protection: early and fast detection of vector species and avoidance of infection. The project will focus on solving the key technology components necessary to give smallholder farmers access to advanced approaches for the control of insects that transmit some of the most economically devastating plant viruses. Outreach and education components are focused on implementing a pipeline for the eventual deployment of a field-based assay in Africa to target the most important insect vector species. All of the biological information generated from virus transmission assays and gene sequencing will be made available to the scientific community through publications, long-term repositories (NCBI, USDA-ARS) and project websites and directly to integrated pest management (IPM) and agricultural stakeholders at conferences. Data will be compiled into a handbook for smallholder farmers for rapid dissemination throughout Africa via IITA extension specialists. All raw mass spectrometry data files, Skyline documents, MS/MS spectrum libraries, and refined targeted proteomics instrument methods generated using Skyline will be available at http://proteome.gs.washington.edu.