Persistent, circulative transmission of begomoviruses by whitefly vectors

•Begomoviruses is one of the largest and economically important groups of emerging plant viruses.•Begomoviruses are exclusively vectored by Bemisia tabaci in a persistent circulative manner.•Understanding begomovirus–vector interactions will provide tools to interrupt the transmission.•There is a need for advanced molecular studies in the field of begomovirus–vector interactions.

Begomoviruses comprise an emerging and economically important group of plant viruses exclusively transmitted by the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci in many regions of the world. The past twenty years have witnessed significant progress in studying the molecular interactions between members of this virus group and B. tabaci. Mechanisms and proteins encoded by the insect vector and its bacterial symbionts, which have been shown to be important for virus transmission, have been identified and thoroughly studied. Despite the economic importance of this group of viruses and their impact on the global agriculture, progress in investigating the virus–vector interactions is moving slowly when compared with similar virus–vector systems in plants and animals. Major advances in this field and future perspectives will be discussed in this review.