Leveraging plant virus-vector molecular interactions for innovative vector and disease control

Although insect-transmitted plant viruses cause substantial global crop losses, knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying their transmission is limited. Recent advances in omics technologies, high-resolution tissue-specific profiling, and protein-protein interaction prediction are rapidly improving our ability to identify vector proteins that mediate virus acquisition, retention, and transmission. These approaches provide critical insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying virus-vector interaction. The integration of molecular discovery with the all-important functional validation of genes involved in virus-vector interactions provides a foundation for the development of next-generation strategies to block plant virus transmission and improve vector management. With a focus on hemipteran vectors, this review summarizes recent progress in elucidating plant virus-vector molecular interactions and their potential use in innovative strategies for virus and vector control. These strategies include 1) the use of viral coat proteins for the delivery of insecticidal proteins into the insect hemocoel, 2) RNA interference or genome editing to disrupt the initial association of a virus with its vector or target other vector genes required for plant virus transmission, and 3) peptides or virus-derived components that compete with viruses for receptor binding in vector tissues.