Potential Involvement of Buchnera aphidicola

This study explored the role of Buchnera aphidicola, an obligate endosymbiont, in the biotype differentiation of Sitobion avenae (Fabricius). Buchnera abundance varied among biotypes when fed on different wheat and barley varieties. The reduction of Buchnera abundance by antibiotic treatment altered the virulence of the five biotypes. Transcriptome analysis showed that genes involved in amino acid metabolism were differentially expressed between different biotypes of S. avenae. The deficiencies in leucine and tryptophan most significantly affected nymph development and aphid fecundity. The genetic differentiation of Buchnera among S. avenae biotypes was also observed. These findings suggest that Buchnera may play a role in the biotype differentiation of S. avenae through its influence on amino acid metabolism. This provides valuable insights for breeding resistant crop varieties and reducing the reliance on insecticides.