Bell, CA, Lilley, CJ, McCarthy, J et al. (2 more authors) (2019) Plant-parasitic nematodes respond to root exudate signals with host-specific gene expression patterns. PLoS Pathogens, 15 (2). e1007503. ISSN 1553-7366
Abstract
Plant parasitic nematodes must be able to locate and feed from their host in order to survive. Here we show that Pratylenchus coffeae regulates the expression of selected cell-wall degrading enzyme genes relative to the abundance of substrate in root exudates, thereby tailoring gene expression for root entry of the immediate host. The concentration of cellulose or xylan within the exudate determined the level of β-1,4-endoglucanase (Pc-eng-1) and β-1,4-endoxylanase (Pc-xyl) upregulation respectively. Treatment of P. coffeae with cellulose or xylan or with root exudates deficient in cellulose or xylan conferred a specific gene expression response of Pc-eng-1 or Pc-xyl respectively with no effect on expression of another cell wall degrading enzyme gene, a pectate lyase (Pc-pel). RNA interference confirmed the importance of regulating these genes as lowered transcript levels reduced root penetration by the nematode. Gene expression in this plant parasitic nematode is therefore influenced, in a host-specific manner, by cell wall components that are either secreted by the plant or released by degradation of root tissue. Transcriptional plasticity may have evolved as an adaptation for host recognition and increased root invasion by this polyphagous species.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 Bell et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
Keywords: | Cellulose; Gene expression; Potato; Maize; Carrots; Nematode infections; Plant cell walls; Plants |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biology (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 12 Feb 2019 13:54 |
Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2023 21:42 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Public Library of Science |
Identification Number: | 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007503 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:142351 |