Root-knot Nematodes (root-knot + nematodes)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Transcriptome analysis of root-knot nematode functions induced in the early stages of parasitism,

NEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 2 2007
G. Dubreuil
Summary ,,Root-knot nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne are obligate biotrophic parasites able to infest > 2000 plant species. The nematode effectors responsible for disease development are involved in the adaptation of the parasite to its host environment and host response modulation. ,,Here, the differences between the transcriptomes of preparasitic exophytic second-stage juveniles (J2) and parasitic endophytic third-stage juveniles (J3) of Meloidogyne incognita were investigated. ,,Genes up-regulated at the endophytic stage were isolated by suppression subtractive hybridization and validated by dot blots and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). ,,Up-regulation was demonstrated for genes involved in detoxification and protein degradation, for a gene encoding a putative secreted protein and for genes of unknown function. Transcripts of the glutathione S-transferase gene Mi-gsts-1 were 27 times more abundant in J3 than in J2. The observed Mi-gsts-1 expression in the oesophageal secretory glands and the results of functional analyses based on RNA interference suggest that glutathione S-transferases are secreted during parasitism and are required for completion of the nematode life cycle in its host. Secreted glutathione S-transferases may protect the parasite against reactive oxygen species or modulate the plant responses triggered by pathogen attack. [source]


Variation in resistance to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita in tomato genotypes bearing the Mi gene

PLANT PATHOLOGY, Issue 2 2005
M. Jacquet
Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are among the main pathogens of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) worldwide. Plant resistance is currently the method of choice for controlling these pests and all the commercially available resistant cultivars carry the dominant Mi gene, which confers resistance to the three main species Meloidogyne arenaria, M. incognita and M. javanica. However the emergence of virulent biotypes able to overcome the tomato resistance gene may constitute a severe limitation to such a control strategy. To date, little was known of the possible influence of the homozygous vs heterozygous allelic state of the Mi locus, or the tomato genetic background, on the expression of the resistance. In order to test both these factors, the resistance was evaluated of a large panel of L. esculentum genotypes (selected from the Vilmorin germplasm stock collection) to seven M. incognita lines avirulent or virulent against the Mi gene. Plant resistance was estimated by counting the egg masses on the root systems after inoculation with second-stage juveniles (J2). Reproduction of the nematodes was similar or, more often, significantly higher on heterozygous tomato genotypes than on homozygous ones, suggesting a possible dosage effect of the Mi gene. Data also indicated that the tomato genetic background had a major effect on the variations observed in nematode reproduction, especially when tomato genotypes were heterozygous for the Mi gene. These results have important consequences in terms of breeding strategies and durability of the resistance conferred by the Mi gene. [source]


Immunological quantification of the nematode parasitic bacterium Pasteuria penetrans in soil

FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2001
S Fould
Abstract Currently, the abundance of Pasteuria penetrans in soils, an unculturable bacterial parasite of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), is estimated by the percentage of nematode juveniles infected with bacteria and the number of spores attached to their cuticle. Indirect immunofluorescence led to detection of free spores directly in soil suspensions using UV light and polyclonal antibodies raised against two P. penetrans populations (ORS-21414-Sen and PP1). Three extraction methods were compared in order to improve spore recovery. A gentle shaking/sieving method recovered more than 90% of the spores inoculated in soils and was more efficient and simple than aqueous two-phase partitioning and polyethylene glycol extractions. All the spores inoculated in sandy or sandy,clay soils were detected with immunofluorescence microscopy. The quantification of the spores was improved using an ELISA technique that showed a good correlation between optical density and spore concentration in inoculated soils. Specific antibodies provide a suitable method to quantify P. penetrans and may be used to follow the evolution of the real pool of bacteria either in native suppressive soils or in inoculated ones. [source]


A new root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne silvestris n. sp. (Nematoda: Meloidogynidae), parasitizing European holly in northern Spain

PLANT PATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
P. Castillo
High infection rates of European holly (Ilex aquifolium) feeder roots by an unknown root-knot nematode were found in a holly forest at Arévalo de la Sierra (Soria province) in northern Spain. Holly trees infected by the root-knot nematode showed some decline and low growth. Infected feeder roots were distorted and showed numerous root galls of large (8,10 mm) to moderate (2,3 mm) size. Morphometry, esterase and malate dehydrogenase electrophoretic phenotypes and phylogenetic trees of sequences within the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) demonstrated that this nematode species differs clearly from other previously described root-knot nematodes. Studies of host-parasite relationships showed a typical susceptible reaction in naturally infected European holly plants, but did not reproduce on a number of cultivated plants, including tomato, grapevine, princess-tree and olive. The species is described here, illustrated and named as Meloidogyne silvestris n. sp. The new root-knot nematode can be morphologically distinguished from other Meloidogyne spp. by: (i) roundish perineal pattern, dorsal arch low, with fine, sinuous cuticle striae, lateral fields faintly visible; (ii) female excretory pore level with stylet knobs, or just anterior to them, EP/ST ratio about 0ˇ8; (iii) second-stage juveniles with hemizonid located 1 to 2 annuli anterior to excretory pore and short, sub-digitate tail; and (iv) males with lateral fields composed of four incisures, with areolated outer bands. Phylogenetic trees derived from maximum parsimony analysis based on 18S, ITS1-5ˇ8S-ITS2 and D2,D3 of 28S rDNA showed that M. silvestris n. sp. can be differentiated from all described root-knot nematode species, and it is clearly separated from other species with resemblance in morphology, such as M. ardenensis, M. dunensis and M. lusitanica. [source]


Relationship between saprotrophic growth in soil of different biotypes of Pochonia chlamydosporia and the infection of nematode eggs

ANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
I.A. Siddiqui
Abstract The ecology of Pochonia chlamydosporia in soil and its interaction with both plant and nematode hosts are important for the successful exploitation of the fungus as a biological control agent. Differences in saprotrophism and parasitism were assessed for biotypes of P. chlamydosporia, which had originated from the eggs of cyst or root-knot nematodes. Colonisation in soils of different textures (compost, sandy loam and loamy sand) measured by the numbers of colony-forming units, differed greatly. Most biotypes were more abundant in sterilised soil of the different textures compared with non-sterilised soils. The proportion of nematode eggs parasitised in a baiting technique demonstrated that biotypes had host preferences. Those biotypes that originated from root-knot nematodes (RKN-biotypes) infected significantly more Meloidogyne hapla eggs than Globodera pallida eggs, whereas biotypes from cyst nematodes (CN-biotypes) parasitised more G. pallida eggs than M. hapla eggs. Differences in virulence between biotypes in an in vitro assay in which the fungi were placed directly onto the egg masses of M. hapla and those differences observed in the baiting technique showed similar trends. There was a negative linear correlation between the growth of the eight biotypes in soil and the proportion of eggs they infected in compatible interactions (i.e. fungal biotype originated from the same nematode genus as the target eggs). Those biotypes that infected most nematode eggs colonised soil the least extensively, suggesting that virulence may have a fitness cost. However, the relationship between saprotrophic growth and virulence is complex. The relative abundance of the different biotypes in soil in Petri dish assays was similar to that under glasshouse conditions using potato but not tomato as the plant host. Chlamydospores of some biotypes applied to soil significantly reduced (>50%) the population densities of M. hapla on tomato and of G. pallida on potato plants. Some biotypes that were both effective and virulent are good candidates for biological control of specific nematode pests. Data presented here and elsewhere indicate that RKN-biotypes have different host preferences to CN-biotypes; the specific primers based on the vcp1 gene from P. chlamydosporia rapidly confirmed the host origin of seven of the eight biotypes. [source]