Journal of Nematology (2005) 37, p. 373 (Hasegawa et al.)

K. Hasegawa, K. Futai, S. Miwa and J. Miwa (2005)
Comparative studies of body axis determination in nematode embryogenesis
Journal of Nematology 37 (3), 373-373
44th Annual Meeting, Society of Nematologists, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 9-13 July, 2005
Abstract: The anterior-posterior axis determination of the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is opposite to that of the free living soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans; we found that the presumptive region of sperm entry into the B. xylophilus oocyte becomes the future anterior portion of the embryo. To understand the evolution of nematode developmental systems, we cloned the following full length genes, Bx-par-1 (Ser/Thr kinase), Bx-mex-3 (RNA binding protein), Bx-tbb (beta tubulin), and Bx-daf-21/hsp90 (heat shock protein), from B. xylophilus cDNA and analyzed their structure and function. They are all the homologues of C. elegans genes, whose expression is necessary for early embryogenesis. To apply the reverse genetics to B. xylophilus, double strand RNA for each of the four B. xylophilus genes was synthesized by in vitro transcription, and both B. xylophilus and C. elegans were soaked in dsRNA for RNAi The animals were then checked for visible phenotypes. Both nematodes could suck up the dsRNA buffer, and we could detect the abnormal phenotypes caused by B. xylophilus dsRNA in C. elegans, but not in B. xylophilus. We are trying to establish other methods for functional analysis of B. xylophilus genes to understand the evolution of developmental systems by studying similarities and differences between these two nematodes.
Database assignments for author(s): Kazuyoshi Futai

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Bursaphelenchus xylophilus