...scientists can develop more effective and sustainable crop protection strategies. MeSA-based interventions, for instance, could reduce dependence on chemical pesticides and help reestablish ecological balance. (end)
This work highlights an ongoing evolutionary arms race unfolding within our agricultural systems. By clarifying the biological processes through which viruses alter plant signaling pathways in ways that increase virus transmission... 16/17
...compared to untreated control fields. These findings suggest that MeSA could serve as a promising, eco-friendly tool for integrated management of both pests and the viruses they transmit. 15/
By deploying slow-release spheres that emitted MeSA into rice fields, the researchers were able to counteract the effects of RSV infection. MeSA increased the abundance of parasitoid wasps and reduced populations of planthoppers and leafhoppers in MeSA-treated fields... 14/
...the plants were infested with virus-carrying leafhoppers. This gene therefore represents the key enzymatic step controlling MeSA biosynthesis in the plant’s defense system. 13/
This is a consistent outcome that is caused by multiple rice viruses that are transmitted by multiple insect species. The researchers further observed that OsBSMT1 expression increased when rice plants were infested with virus-free leafhoppers, but decreased when... 12/
When this regulatory pathway is disrupted, MeSA levels decline sharply. This suppression of MeSA decreases wasp recruitment and provides an advantage to the pest insects because their wasp predators are reduced in number. 11/
The authors also uncovered the molecular mechanism by which the virus suppresses MeSA production. RSV appears to interfere with the expression of OsBSMT1, the gene encoding the enzyme that generates MeSA by adding methyl groups to salicylic acid, the MeSA precursor. 10/
...allowing the planthopper/leafhopper insects to feed more freely and spread the virus more effectively. In short, the virus-induced loss of MeSA results in fewer parasitoid wasps, higher numbers of virus-carrying insects, and increased viral transmission. 9/
The researchers show that rice stripe virus (RSV) suppresses the host plant’s ability to produce MeSA by disabling the signaling pathway required for its synthesis. By silencing this chemical distress signal, RSV prevents parasitoid wasps from being attracted to the plant... 8/
A new study published in Science Advances reveals how some viruses that infect rice plants have evolved strategies that undermine the plant’s indirect defenses and ensure the viruses’ own viability and transmission. 7/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
...and thereby keeping pest populations in check. 6/
One of the most important of these signals is methyl salicylate (MeSA), a volatile compound released by rice plants to attract parasitoid wasps. The wasps lay their eggs inside the eggs of planthopper/leafhopper insects, destroying them before they can hatch... 5/
These defenses include direct strategies, such as physical barriers like fine hairs or sticky resins that make feeding more difficult, and indirect strategies that rely on chemical signals to recruit natural predators of the insects. 4/
...and health risks, and they often also become less effective over time. New strategies for controlling virus-carrying insects are urgently needed.
Plants have developed sophisticated defenses against both insect pests and the viruses those pests transmit. 3/
Across Asia and beyond, rice crops are frequently attacked by planthoppers and leafhoppers – insects that damage plants during feeding and transmit viruses that can wipe out entire harvests. The chemical insecticides typically used by rice farmers can pose environmental... 2/
In this 🧵I share a fascinating story involving a plant, a virus, two insects, and a volatile chemical - suggesting an alternative pesticide inspired by nature.
Also at virology blog. 1/
virology.ws/2026/03/05/a...
...of future spillover events. Therefore, improved strategies for safe agricultural and farming practices that minimize contact between livestock and fruit bats are urgently needed. (end)
Furthermore, because increased contact between animal species and humans is a major driver of cross‑species transmission, environmental and ecological changes, particularly those resulting from human encroachment into wildlife habitats, may heighten the likelihood... 17/18
This high fatality rate – combined with the virus’s potential for human‑to‑human transmission and the lack of approved vaccines or targeted treatments, makes Nipah virus a significant public health concern. 16/18
The virus is highly lethal, as demonstrated by a 2011 outbreak in Southeast Asia that resulted in 211 deaths among 280 reported cases – corresponding to a case fatality rate of approximately 75%. 15/
...affecting the lungs, kidneys, and brain, and often causing severe respiratory illness and encephalitis. 14/
...nucleocapsid proteins. Nipah virus infects primarily epithelial cells of the respiratory tract, endothelial cells lining blood vessels, and neurons in the central nervous system. As a result, infection frequently leads to widespread systemic disease, prominently... 13/
Nipah virus particles are encased in a lipid membrane and can have a filamentous or spherical shape generally measuring 120-150 nm in diameter. The viral genome is composed of a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA molecule that is tightly associated with... 12/
...in many South Asian communities, yet public awareness of the associated health risks remains limited. Fruit bats frequently contaminate sap collection sites with their saliva, urine, or feces, while feeding on the exposed sap. 11/
...saliva, or urine. Consumption of fruit or fruit‑derived products contaminated with bat excretions also contributes to transmission. In particular, drinking raw date palm sap carries deep cultural significance... 10/
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Transmission of Nipah virus happens most commonly from animals to humans, through direct contact. Nevertheless, the virus can also spread from one person to another, typically during exposure to the bodily fluids of an infected individual, including respiratory secretions... 9/
...among species of the Pteropus genus, commonly known as “flying foxes.” These bats shed Nipah virus in their saliva, urine, and feces, thereby contaminating local fruit or palm sap that may subsequently be consumed by humans or by intermediate animal hosts. 8/
As a member of the Paramyxoviridae family, Nipah virus is related to other clinically important viruses like measles virus, mumps virus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Nipah virus circulates in fruit bats across Asia, the South Pacific and Australia, especially... 7/
As outlined in an earlier post on the role of bats as reservoirs for high‑risk pathogens, fruit bats can harbor a variety of viruses with the potential to emerge in human populations. 6/
virology.ws/2023/10/05/v...
