Rice stripe virus (RSV) is a typical member of the Tenuivirus genus, which is transmitted mainly by the small brown planthopper (SBPH) in a persistent, circulative-propagative manner. At present, expression levels of viral genes in rice and in SBPH remain unclear. In this study, we investigated RSV gene expression in RSV-infected rice tissues and in viruliferous SBPH using a sensitive and reliable real-time quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) method. Th e results revealed that NS3 gene exhibited the

more »

... t abundant expression in both, rice plants and SBPH. Disease-specifi c protein (SP) gene was the only gene with highest expression in rice, but not in SBPH. Th e expression levels of other genes were lower than SP and approximately equal to each other in both, in rice and SBPH. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) in SBPH was present in a notably low level. Furthermore, our results also provided a basis for further investigation on how RSV coordinates its own gene expression in the interactions with its plant and insect hosts.