Regurgitant as a Determinant of Specificity in the Transmission of Plant Viruses by Beetles

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Abstract
Regurgitant from leaf-feeding beetles (Cerotoma trifurcata, Epilachna varivestis, and Diabrotica undecimpunctata) contains a factor(s) that prevents infection by most viruses, but has no effect on beetle-transmissible viruses [bean pod mottle virus, southern bean mosaic virus, tobacco mosaic virus and tobacco ringspot virus]. When beetle feeding was simulated by gross wounding of leaf tissue and purified virus was applied during wounding, high levels of transmission of both beetle-transmissible and non-beetle-transmissible viruses were achieved. When inoculum was mixed with beetle regurgitant and applied using the gross wounding technique, there was a high level of transmission of beetle-transmissible viruses and a very low level of transmission of non-beetle-transmissible viruses. The regurgitant factor(s), which prevents infection by non-beetle-transmissible viruses, is heat labile, is stable to freezing, and has a MW > 50,000 daltons. The regurgitant factor(s) does not irreversibly inactivate non-beetle-transmissible viruses.