A subscription to JoVE is required to view this content. Sign in or start your free trial.
We describe an immunofluorescence and quantitative PCR method for the localization and quantification of begomoviruses in insect tissues. The immunofluorescence protocol can be used to colocalize viral and vector proteins. The quantitative PCR protocol can be extended to quantify viruses in whole whitefly bodies and virus-infected plants.
Begomoviruses (genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae) are transmitted by whiteflies of the Bemisia tabaci complex in a persistent, circulative manner. Considering the extensive damage caused by begomoviruses to crop production worldwide, it is imperative to understand the interaction between begomoviruses and their whitefly vector. To do so, localization and quantification of the virus in the vector tissues is crucial. Here, using tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) as an example, we describe a detailed protocol to localize begomoviruses in whitefly midguts, primary salivary glands, and ovaries by immunofluorescence. The method is based on the use of specific antibodies against a virus coat protein, dye-labeled secondary antibodies, and a confocal microscope. The protocol can also be used to colocalize begomoviral and whitefly proteins. We further describe a protocol for the quantification of TYLCV in whitefly midguts, primary salivary glands, hemolymph, and ovaries by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Using primers specifically designed for TYLCV, the protocols for quantification allow the comparison of the amount of TYLCV in different tissues of the whitefly. The described protocol is potentially useful for the quantification of begomoviruses in the body of a whitefly and a virus-infected plant. These protocols can be used to analyze the circulation pathway of begomoviruses in the whitefly or as a complement to other methods to study whitefly-begomovirus interactions.
In the last decades, begomoviruses (genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae) have caused serious damage to the production of many vegetable, fiber, and ornamental crops worldwide1. Begomoviruses are transmitted in a persistent manner by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), which is a complex species containing over 35 cryptic species2,3. Begomoviruses may directly or indirectly affect whitefly physiology and behavior, such as fecundity4, longevity4, and host preference5,6. Furthermore, the transmission efficiency of a given begomovirus species/strain varies for different whitefly cryptic species even under the same experimental conditions7,8,9,10, indicating that there is a complex interaction between begomoviruses and whiteflies. To better understand the mechanisms underlying whitefly-begomovirus interactions, localization and quantification of the virus in whitefly tissues are essential.
Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is a begomovirus that was first reported in Israel but nowadays causes serious damage to tomato production worldwide11,12. Due to its economic importance, it is one of the best-studied begomoviruses13. Like other monopartite begomoviruses, TYLCV is a single-strand circular DNA virus with a genome size of about 2,800 nucleotides14. While still under debate, several lines of evidence support the replication of TYLCV in whiteflies15,16,17. Moreover, the interaction of TYLCV particles and whitefly proteins has been reported6,18,19,20. For virus transmission, whiteflies acquire TYLCV by feeding on virus-infected plants, virions pass along the food canal to reach the esophagus, penetrate the midgut wall to reach the hemolymph, and then translocate into the primary salivary glands (PSGs). Finally, virions are egested with saliva along the salivary duct into plant phloem21. Furthermore, several studies show that TYLCV is able to be transovarially transmitted from female whiteflies to their offspring22,23. In other words, to achieve productive transmission, the virus has to overcome cellular barriers within the whitefly to translocate from one tissue to another. During the crossing of these barriers, interactions between whitefly and virus proteins are likely to occur, probably determining the efficiency with which the viruses are transmitted.
Immunofluorescence is a commonly used technique for protein distribution analysis. The specificity of antibodies binding to their antigen form the basis of immunofluorescence. Due to the economic significance of TYLCV, monoclonal antibodies against the TYLCV coat protein have been developed, offering a highly sensitive way to localize the virus24. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) allows sensitive and specific quantification of nucleic acids. This technique is most frequently based on the use of hydrolysis probe (e.g., TaqMan) or fluorescent dye (e.g., SYBR Green) detection. For hydrolysis probe-based qPCR, specific probes are needed, which consequently increase the cost. Fluorescent dye-based qPCR is simpler and more cost-effective, because labeled amplicon-specific hybridization probes are not required25. So far, several studies have used immunofluorescence and qPCR along with other methods to investigate the complex begomovirus-whitefly interactions. For example, Pan et al. performed qPCR and immunofluorescence analysis of the virus in whitefly tissues and found that the difference in ability to transmit tobacco curly shoot virus (TbCSV) between whitefly species AsiaII 1 and Middle East Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) was due to the virus being able to efficiently cross the midgut wall of AsiaII1 but not MEAM18. Similarly, while Mediterranean (MED) whiteflies can readily transmit TYLCV, they fail to transmit tomato yellow leaf curl China virus (TYLCCNV). Selective transmission was investigated using immunofluorescence detection of virus in the PSGs, which showed that TYLCCNV do not easily cross the PSGs of MED whiteflies26. Immunofluorescence colocalization of TYLCV CP and the autophagy marker protein ATG8-II in whitefly midguts shows that autophagy plays a critical role in repressing the infection of TYLCV in the whitefly27.
Here, using TYLCV as an example, we describe a protocol for the localization of begomoviruses in whitefly midguts, PSGs, and ovaries by an immunofluorescence technique. The technique includes dissection, fixation, and incubation with primary and dye-labeled secondary antibodies. Fluorescence signals showing the location of viral proteins in the whitefly tissues can then be detected under a confocal microscope. More importantly, this protocol can be used to colocalize begomoviral and whitefly proteins. We further describe a protocol for the quantification of TYLCV using SYBR Green-based qPCR in whitefly midguts, PSGs, hemolymph, and ovaries, that can be used to compare the amount of virus in different whitefly tissue samples.
1. Whitefly, Virus, Plants, and Acquisition of the Virus
2. Dissection and Collection of Midguts, Primary Salivary Glands (PSG), Ovaries, and Hemolymph of Female Whiteflies
3. Localization of TYLCV in Whitefly Midgut, Primary Salivary Glands, and Ovaries by Immunofluorescence
NOTE: The procedure for the localization of TYLCV in the midguts is presented as an example. The method can be used for PSGs and ovaries.
4. Quantification of TYLCV in Whitefly Midgut, Primary Salivary Glands, Hemolymph, and Ovaries with qPCR
The MEAM1 whiteflies of the B. tabaci complex and TYLCV were used as an example here to describe the procedures. The overview of the immunofluorescence and viral quantification procedures described in this manuscript is shown in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows representative results of immunofluorescence detection of TYLCV and DAPI staining in PSGs, midguts, and ovaries, indicating that TYLCV accumulated more in the PSGs and midguts, and less in the ovaries. <...
Here we describe a protocol for the localization and quantification of a begomovirus in the tissues of its whitefly vector by immunofluorescence and qPCR. Dissection represents the first step to localize and quantify the virus in whitefly tissues. The whitefly body is about 1 mm in length, which means that the tissues are extremely small, and it is difficult to dissect them. Besides, there are strong connections between the tissues. For example, the ovaries are tightly connected with the bacteriocytes, making them diffic...
The authors have nothing to disclose.
This work was supported by National Key Research and Development Program (Grant number: 2017YFD0200600), the earmarked fund for China Agriculture Research System (grant number: CARS-23-D07) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Investment ID OPP1149777). We thank Prof. Jian-Xiang Wu for providing TYLCV CP antibodies.
Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
4% Paraformaldehyde | MultiSciences | F0001 | |
4',6-diamidino-2-phénylindole (DAPI) | Abcam | ab104139 | |
Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) | MultiSciences | A3828 | |
CFX Connect Real-Time PCR Detection System | Bio-RAD | 185-5201 | |
Confocal microscopy | Zeiss | LSM800 | |
Dylight 549-goat anti-mouse | Earthox | E032310-02 | Secondary antibody |
Monoclonal antibody (MAb 1C4) | Primary antibody | ||
Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) | Sangon Biotech | B548119-0500 | |
Stereo microscope | Zeiss | Stemi 2000-C | |
TB green premix Ex Taq (Tli RNase H Plus) | TaKaRa | RR820A | qPCR master mix |
Thermocycler | Thermofisher | A41182 | |
Tissuelyzer | Shaghai jingxin | Tissuelyser-48 | |
Triton-X-100 | BBI life sciences | 9002-93-1 | |
Tween 20 | BBI life sciences | 9005-64-5 |
Request permission to reuse the text or figures of this JoVE article
Request PermissionThis article has been published
Video Coming Soon
Copyright © 2025 MyJoVE Corporation. All rights reserved