j.1744-7917.2009.00261.x.pdfVIP

Utility of PCR-RFLP in differentiating whitefly biotypes 107 ? 2009 The Authors Journal compilation ? Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Insect Science, 16, 107-114 107 Wei-Hua Ma 1,2 , Xian-Chun Li 1 , Timothy J. Dennehy 1 , Chao-Liang Lei 2 , Mo Wang 2 , Benjamin A. Degain 1 and Robert L. Nichols 3 1 Department of Entomology and BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ 85721, USA, 2 Department of Plant Protection, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China, and 3 Cotton Incorporated, 6399 Weston Parkway, Cary, NC 27513, USA Utility of MtCOI polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism in differentiating between Q and B whitefly Bemisia tabaci biotypes Abstract The invasive, insecticide-resistant, Q whitefly biotype, has gradually spread to other countries including the US via human-mediated movement of plant materials. We assessed the utility of the VspI-based mtCOI (mitochondrion cytochrome oxidase I) polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) tech- nique as a rapid, cost-effective, and reliable alternative for differentiating the Q from the dominant B biotype in Arizona. Using the standard mtCOI gene sequencing and mtCOI PCR-RFLP techniques, we biotyped eight whitefly strains of five individuals each collected from poinsettia and cotton at different locations in Arizona. Complete concordance was observed between the two methods, with three strains being identified as the Q biotype and five samples as the B biotype. We also scanned the mtCOI gene sequences for VspI polymorphisms in the B and Q biotype whiteflies currently available in the GenBank database. This global screening revealed the existence of three and four VspI polymorphic types for the Q and B biotypes, respectively. Nevertheless, all three VspI polymorphic Q biotype whiteflies shared a common and unique VspI site that can be used to differentiate Q biotype from the