Gut-Expressed Vitellogenin Facilitates the Movement of a Plant Virus across the Midgut Wall in Its Insect Vector

Abstract

An essential step in the life cycle of many viruses is transmission to a new host by insect vectors, and one critical step in the transmission of persistently transmitted viruses is overcoming the midgut barrier to enter vectors and complete their cycle. Most viruses enter vector midgut epithelial cells via specific interaction between viral structural proteins and vector cell surface receptor complexes.