The isolation and functional analysis of parasitism genes of the beet cyst nematode, Heterodera schachtii

Authors: PATEL, NRUPALI - NORTH CAROLINA ST. UNIV.; DIAB, HANANE - NORTH CAROLINA ST. UNIV.; GAO, BINGLI - NORTH CAROLINA ST. UNIV.; Wang, Xiaohong; HUSSEY, RICHARD - UNIV. OF GEORGIA; BAUM, THOMAS - IOWA STATE UNIV.; DAVIS, ERIC - NORTH CAROLINA ST. UNIV.

Submitted to: Journal of Nematology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/6/2006
Publication Date: 6/18/2006
Citation: Patel, N., Diab, H., Gao, B., Wang, X., Hussey, R., Baum, T., Davis, E. 2006. The isolation and functional analysis of parasitism genes of the beet cyst nematode, Heterodera schachtii [abstract]. Journal of Nematology. 38(2):286.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Homologs of parasitism genes that encode peptides secreted from the stylet of the soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines are being investigated in H. schachtii to use the tractable plant model, Arabidopsis thaliana, for studies of parasitism gene function. Full-length cDNA clones encoding products with 92% identity to H. glycines CLAVATA3 (CLV3)-like protein (SYV46), 97% identity to annexin (4F01), 88% identity to a potential elicitor (4E02), and 95% identity to a nuclear-localized protein (5D08) have been isolated from H. schachtii. Polyclonal antibodies to the H. glycines parasitism gene proteins also bind within H. schachtii esophageal gland cells, confirming appropriate parasitism gene expression and translation. H. schachtii infection assays using clv-1 receptor Arabidopsis mutants are being analyzed for their effect on nematode CLV3 (SYV46). Similarly, infection assays using Arabidopsis defective in annexin-1 are being conducted to decipher the role of plant annexin during nematode infections. RNA interference is being investigated as a parallel functional approach based on the potential of ingested dsRNA to knock-out target nematode parasitism genes.