Chen, W., Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, United States
Hasegawa, D.K., Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, United States, US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, US Vegetable Laboratory, Charleston, SC, United States
Kaur, N., Crop Improvement and Protection Research, US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Salinas, CA, United States
Pinheiro, P.V., Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, United States, EMBRAPA Rice and Beans, Santo Antônio de Goiás, GO, Brazil, Cornell University, Department of Entomology, Ithaca, NY, United States
Luan, J., Cornell University, Department of Entomology, Ithaca, NY, United States
Stensmyr, M.C., Lund University, Department of Biology, Lund, Sweden
Zheng, Y., Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, United States
Liu, W., Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, United States
Sun, H., Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, United States
Xu, Y., Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, United States
Luo, Y., Cornell University, Department of Entomology, Ithaca, NY, United States
Kruse, A., Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, United States, Cornell University, Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, Ithaca, NY, United States
Yang, X., Cornell University, Department of Entomology, Ithaca, NY, United States
Fisher, T.W., The University of Arizona, Department of Plant Sciences, Tucson, AZ, United States
Nelson, D.R., University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, Memphis, TN, United States
Hunter, W.B., US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, US Horticultural Laboratory, Fort Pierce, FL, United States
Brown, J.K., Cornell University, Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, Ithaca, NY, United States
Jander, G., Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, United States
Cilia, M., Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, United States, Lund University, Department of Biology, Lund, Sweden, Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Ithaca, NY, United States
Douglas, A.E., Cornell University, Department of Entomology, Ithaca, NY, United States
Simmons, A.M., US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, US Vegetable Laboratory, Charleston, SC, United States
Wintermantel, W.M., Crop Improvement and Protection Research, US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Salinas, CA, United States
Ling, K.-S., US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, US Vegetable Laboratory, Charleston, SC, United States
Fei, Z., Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, United States, Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Ithaca, NY, United States

Background: The whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is among the 100 worst invasive species in the world. As one of the most important crop pests and virus vectors, B. tabaci causes substantial crop losses and poses a serious threat to global food security. Results: We report the 615-Mb high-quality genome sequence of B. tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1), the first genome sequence in the Aleyrodidae family, which contains 15,664 protein-coding genes. The B. tabaci genome is highly divergent from other sequenced hemipteran genomes, sharing no detectable synteny. A number of known detoxification gene families, including cytochrome P450s and UDP-glucuronosyltransferases, are significantly expanded in B. tabaci. Other expanded gene families, including cathepsins, large clusters of tandemly duplicated B. tabaci-specific genes, and phosphatidylethanolamine-binding proteins (PEBPs), were found to be associated with virus acquisition and transmission and/or insecticide resistance, likely contributing to the global invasiveness and efficient virus transmission capacity of B. tabaci. The presence of 142 horizontally transferred genes from bacteria or fungi in the B. tabaci genome, including genes encoding hopanoid/sterol synthesis and xenobiotic detoxification enzymes that are not present in other insects, offers novel insights into the unique biological adaptations of this insect such as polyphagy and insecticide resistance. Interestingly, two adjacent bacterial pantothenate biosynthesis genes, panB and panC, have been co-transferred into B. tabaci and fused into a single gene that has acquired introns during its evolution. Conclusions: The B. tabaci genome contains numerous genetic novelties, including expansions in gene families associated with insecticide resistance, detoxification and virus transmission, as well as numerous horizontally transferred genes from bacteria and fungi. We believe these novelties likely have shaped B. tabaci as a highly invasive polyphagous crop pest and efficient vector of plant viruses. The genome serves as a reference for resolving the B. tabaci cryptic species complex, understanding fundamental biological novelties, and providing valuable genetic information to assist the development of novel strategies for controlling whiteflies and the viruses they transmit. © 2016 Chen et al.