Review paper
Interplay between aphid salivary proteins, plant immunity, and virus spread
Guo, Huijuan; Sun, Yucheng
Entomologia Generalis Volume 45 Number 5 (2025), p. 1271 - 1283
published: Nov 18, 2025
published online: Oct 23, 2025
manuscript accepted: Aug 14, 2025
manuscript revision received: Aug 5, 2025
manuscript revision requested: Jul 9, 2025
manuscript received: May 12, 2025
ArtNo. ESP146004505005, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
Phloem-feeding insects utilize their highly specialized stylets to access the sieve element and extract phloem sap from plants. As globally notorious agricultural pests that feed on phloem, aphids are one of the key models for studying plant-insect interactions and virus transmission. Their remarkably broad host range is largely attributed to their diverse and powerful salivary proteins. The aphid “salivary toolbox” comprises effectors that suppress plant defenses, redirect primary metabolites, and alleviate physical barriers within the phloem. In addition, some salivary proteins are able to facilitate the post-transmission infection of aphid-borne plant viruses in ways that enhance the infectivity, and accelerate viral cell-to-cell movement and systemic spread. As an increasing body of novel salivary proteins have been identified from aphids, the ambiguities of their functions have far-reaching consequences for our understanding of aphid infestation and viral transmission. These aphid-specific salivary proteins offer the promising targets for developing precise and effective pest control technologies. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the synthesis, derivation, function and application of salivary proteins in aphids, providing an evolutionary insight into the mechanisms underlying aphid-virus-plant interactions.
Keywords
salivary gland • plant defense • phloem feeding • virus transmission • effector proteins • host manipulation • callose • jasmonic acid signaling