The majority of plant-infecting viruses are transmitted to their host plants by vectors. The interactions between viruses and vector vary in duration and specificity but some common themes in vector transmission have emerged: 1) plant viruses encode structural proteins on the surface of the virion that are essential for transmission, and in some cases additional non-structural helper proteins that act to bridge the virion to the vector binding site; 2) viruses bind to specific sites in or on vectors and are retained there until they are transmitted to their plant hosts; and 3) viral determinants of vector transmission are promising candidates for translational research aimed at disrupting transmission or decreasing vector populations. In this review, we focus on well-characterized insect vector-transmitted viruses in the following genera: Caulimovirus, Crinivirus, Luteovirus, Geminiviridae, Reovirus, Tospovirus, and Tenuivirus. New discoveries regarding these genera have increased our understanding of the basic mechanisms of virus transmission by arthropods, which in turn have enabled the development of innovative strategies for breaking the transmission cycle.
