Open AccessIdentification of candidate effector genes of Pratylenchus penetrans
Author(s) -
Vieira Paulo,
Maier Thomas R.,
Evesvan den Akker Sebastian,
Howe Dana K.,
Zasada Inga,
Baum Thomas J.,
Eisenback Jonathan D.,
Kamo Kathryn
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
molecular plant pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.945
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1364-3703
pISSN - 1464-6722
DOI - 10.1111/mpp.12666
Subject(s) - effector , pratylenchus penetrans , biology , gene , nematode , pratylenchus , computational biology , candidate gene , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , ecology
Summary Pratylenchus penetrans is one of the most important species of root lesion nematodes (RLNs) because of its detrimental and economic impact in a wide range of crops. Similar to other plant‐parasitic nematodes (PPNs), P. penetrans harbours a significant number of secreted proteins that play key roles during parasitism. Here, we combined spatially and temporally resolved next‐generation sequencing datasets of P. penetrans to select a list of candidate genes aimed at the identification of a panel of effector genes for this species. We determined the spatial expression of transcripts of 22 candidate effectors within the oesophageal glands of P. penetrans by in situ hybridization. These comprised homologues of known effectors of other PPNs with diverse putative functions, as well as novel pioneer effectors specific to RLNs. It is noteworthy that five of the pioneer effectors encode extremely proline‐rich proteins. We then combined in situ localization of effectors with available genomic data to identify a non‐coding motif enriched in promoter regions of a subset of P. penetrans effectors, and thus a putative hallmark of spatial expression. Expression profiling analyses of a subset of candidate effectors confirmed their expression during plant infection. Our current results provide the most comprehensive panel of effectors found for RLNs. Considering the damage caused by P. penetrans , this information provides valuable data to elucidate the mode of parasitism of this nematode and offers useful suggestions regarding the potential use of P. penetrans ‐specific target effector genes to control this important pathogen.