Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor gene TRAF4 promotes the symbiosis between tobacco whitefly Bemisia tabaci and primary endosymbiotic bacterium Portiera
To determine the role of the tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor (TRAF) gene TRAF4 in the interaction between the whitefly Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 and bacteriocyte symbionts,we analyzed the conserved domain and phylogeny of the TRAF4 protein. In addition,TRAF4 expression levels in bacteriocytes and the whole body were detected using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Fol-lowing inhibition of TRAF4 expression in B. tabaci using RNA interference (RNAi),we measured the ti-ters of symbionts by qPCR,counted the number of eggs,and assessed autophagy levels in bacteriocytes through immunofluorescence. The results showed that TRAF4 protein contained Zinc finger and TRAF domain and clusters with TRAF4 proteins from Drosophila melanogaster and Aedes aegypti. TRAF4 was highly expressed in the bacteriocytes. Upon injection of dsTRAF4,the expression of TRAF4 was significantly downregulated,leading to decreased titers of Portiera and reduced number of eggs laid by females. Additionally,the autophagy level of bacteriocytes was significantly increased. These results indicate that TRAF4 plays a crucial role in maintaining the titer of Portiera in B. tabaci by inhibiting autophagy in bacteriocytes,and also contributes to the interaction between B. tabaci and Portiera.
万方数据
维普
