Proteomic Polyphenism in Color Morphotypes of , Insect Vector of Citrus Greening Disease.

is a vector of " Liberibacter asiaticus (Las), associated with citrus greening disease. . exhibit at least two color morphotypes, blue and non-blue, the latter including gray and yellow morphs. Blue morphs have a greater capacity for long-distance flight and transmit Las less efficiently as compared to non-blue morphs. Differences in physiology and immunity between color morphs of the insect vector may influence disease epidemiology and biological control strategies. We evaluated the effect of Las infection on color morph and sex-specific proteomic profiles of . Immunity-associated proteins were more abundant in blue morphs as compared to non-blue morphs but were upregulated at a higher magnitude in response to Las infection in non-blue insects. To test for differences in color morph immunity, we measured two phenotypes: (1) survival of when challenged with the entomopathogenic fungus and (2) microbial load of the surface and internal microbial communities. Non-blue color morphs showed higher mortality at four doses of , but no differences in microbial load were observed. Thus, color morph polyphenism is associated with two distinct proteomic immunity phenotypes in that may impact transmission of Las and resistance to under some conditions.