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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Plant Gene Expression Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #378685
Research Project: Discovery of Plant Genetic Mechanisms Controlling Microbial Recruitment to the Root Microbiome

Location: Plant Gene Expression Center

Title: Nematode-encoded RALF peptide mimics facilitate parasitism of plants through the FERONIA receptor kinase

Author
item ZHANG, XIN - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item PENG, HUAN - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item ZHU, SIRUI - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item XING, JUINJIE - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item LI, XIN - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item ZHU, ZHAOZHONG - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item ZHENG, JINGYUAN - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item WANG, LONG - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item WANG, BINGQIAN - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item CHEN, JIA - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item MING, ZHENHUA - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item YAO, KE - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item JIAN, JINZHAO - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item LUAN, SHENG - University Of California
item Coleman-Derr, Devin
item LIAO, HONGDONG - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item PENG, YOUSONG - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item PENG, DELIANG - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine
item YU, FENG - Beijing Advanced Innovation Center For Food Nutrition And Human Health, Beijing Technology & Busine

Submitted to: Molecular Plant
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/27/2020
Publication Date: 9/4/2020
Citation: Zhang, X., Peng, H., Zhu, S., Xing, J., Li, X., Zhu, Z., Zheng, J., Wang, L., Wang, B., Chen, J., Ming, Z., Yao, K., Jian, J., Luan, S., Coleman-Derr, D.A., Liao, H., Peng, Y., Peng, D., Yu, F. 2020. Nematode-encoded RALF peptide mimics facilitate parasitism of plants through the FERONIA receptor kinase. Molecular Plant. 13:214-216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2020.08.014.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2020.08.014

Interpretive Summary: The molecular mechanism by which plants defend against plant root-knot nematodes (RKNs) is largely unknown. Plants encode the receptor kinase FERONIA and its peptide ligands, rapid alkalinization factors (RALFs), to regulate plant immune responses and cell expansion, which are two important factors for successful RKN parasitism. Here we report that nematodes have co-opted this system to influence colonization and infection efficiency. Understanding how nematodes have manipulate plants will lead to effective new ways to reduce crop loss.

Technical Abstract: In this study, mutation of FERONIA in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in plants showing low susceptibility to the RKN Meloidogyne incognita. To identify the underlying mechanisms associated with this phenomenon, we identified eighteen novel RALF-likes from multiple RKNs and confirmed that two RALF-likes (i.e., MiRALF1 and MiRALF3) from M. incognita were expressed in the esophageal gland and had high expression during the parasitic stages of nematode development. These nematode RALF-likes also possess the typical activities of plant RALFs and directly bind to the extracellular domain of FERONIA, modulating specific steps of nematode parasitism related immune responses and cell expansion. Genetically, both MiRALF1/3 and FERONIA are required for RKN parasitism in Arabidopsis and rice. This study suggests that nematode-encoded RALFs facilitate parasitism via plant-encoded FERONIA and provides a novel paradigm for studying host-pathogen interactions.