European Journal of Plant Pathology (2015) 141, 747-759

M. Pestana, I. Abrantes and M. Gouveia (2015)
Effect of chemical stress imposed by Solanum nigrum in calreticulin and beta-1,4- endoglucanase genes and in infectivity of Pratylenchus goodeyi
European Journal of Plant Pathology 141 (4), 747-759
Abstract: Isolation and expression of effector genes encoding proteins secreted by plant-parasitic nematodes into a host can be helpful in improving the understanding of parasitic interactions. In this study, calreticulin, a highly conserved Ca2+-binding and multifunctional protein, and beta-1,4-endoglucanase, a cell wall-degrading enzyme, both known to be secreted from oesophageal gland cells and injected through the nematode stylet into host tissue, were analysed. Full-length cDNAs from calreticulin (crt) and beta-1,4-endoglucanase (eng) with an estimated size of 1549 and 1342 bp, respectively, were isolated from the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus goodeyi (Pg) by RT-PCR and RACE techniques. Pg-crt and Pg-eng cDNAs were characterized in silico, and their expression assessed by semi-quantitative PCR in nematodes exposed to a chemical stress provided by a Solanum nigrum extract showing nematicidal activity. It was demonstrated that the plant extract down-regulated the levels of Pg-crt mRNA, whereas the transcripts of Pg-eng mRNA held steady. This extract also affected nematode behaviour towards the roots since the number of nematodes that reached and penetrated the roots diminished when the exposure time rose. These observations indicate that the nematicidal compounds present in the plant extract were effective as a signal to influence the infection success of P. goodeyi in vitro and it might be tested against other phytoparasitic nematodes.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Isabel M. de O. Abrantes

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Pratylenchus goodeyi	Banana/plantain (Musa)	Portugal (Madeira)