Targeting an Invasive Pest Insect: Western Flower Thrips
Molecular Interactions Between Thrips and Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
Professor Dorith Rotenberg of North Carolina State University’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology will discuss her research on the Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, and tomato spotted wilt virus at the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology seminar on Monday, Feb. 26.
Professor Rotenberg will deliver her seminar on “Advances and Innovations in the Characterization of Molecular Interactions Between Frankliniella occidentalis and Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus” at 4:10 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall. It also will be on Zoom. The Zoom link: https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672.
UC Davis distinguished professor Diane Ullman, who collaborates with Rotenberg, will be the host.
Rotenberg's abstract: “Arthropod-transmitted plant pathogens cause crippling monetary losses to U.S. and global economies. Tomato spotted wilt virus (Order Bunyavirales, family Tospoviridae, genus Orthotospovirus) is one of those pathogens, and it is transmitted in a circulative-propagative manner by Frankliniella occidentalis, the principal thrips vector. The overarching goal of my research program is to contribute fundamental knowledge towards developing alternative, effective and innovative tools for diminishing vector-transmitted crop diseases. My lab has been on the forefront of generating and sharing vector ‘omics resources to enable the identification and characterization of molecular determinants of vector competence as a means to specifically disrupt the virus transmission cycle. Using a combination of proteomic, transcriptomic and functional tools developed by my team and collaborators for F. occidentalis and TSWV, we aim to drill down on gut proteins associated with thrips host response to virus activities (indirect interactions) and/or gut proteins that physically interact with the viral attachment protein (GN) (direct)."
"My talk," she said, "will cover research advances made towards identifying and functionally characterizing two promising gut-expressed proteins, and new tools to interrogate F. occidentalis genes associated with virus transmission.”
Thrips feeds on more than 500 different species of host plants, including fruits, vegetable, and ornamental crops. Among the host plants: tomatoes, grapes, strawberries and soybeans.
Rotenberg received three degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison: a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry and her master's and doctorate in plant pathology. She is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the director of Graduate Programs in Plant Pathology. She co-directs the NCSU Plant Virus Vector Interactions Lab.
Her foundational research initiatives center on the long-range goal of identifying and characterizing insect vector determinants of plant virus transmission to crop plants using a combination of ecological and genomics-based tools. Her research program has provided to the international science community vector genome, transcriptome, and proteome sequence resources to dig deeply into commonly shared questions revolving around insect evolution, development, and transmission biology.
For Zoom technical issues, contact seminar coordinator Brian Johnson, associate professor, at brnjohnson@ucdavis.edu.