Abstract
Potato cyst nematodes have evolved a sophisticated way
to parasitise their host plants. They migrate intracellularly
through the root, and an outer cortex cell is selected as a
starting point for syncytium formation. The recruitment
of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes by the nematode
results in an expansion of the syncytium towards the
vascular bundle via a so-called cortical bridge. A
local accumulation of auxin is crucial for syncytium
development.Analysis of cellulase expression patterns in
tomato revealed that two auxin-inducible members (LECel7
and LE-Cel8) were speci¿ cally up-regulated during
the onset of syncytium development. Intriguingly, nodule
formation in legumes starts in the cortex, proliferates
towards the stele and is also accompanied by a local
accumulation of auxin. This process is preceded by the
expression of ENOD40. To see whether this gene is
also essential for syncytium development, the role of
ENOD40 was investigated in the non-legumes tomato and
Arabidopsis upon cyst nematode infection. To unravel the
molecular mechanisms that underlie syncytium induction
more thoroughly, a high throughput approach is needed.
cDNA-AFLP was used to monitor the expression of
auxin-regulated genes in cyst nematode-infected tomato
roots, and some preliminary results will be presented.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Nematology Symposium abstracts |
| Place of Publication | Leiden |
| Publisher | Brill |
| Pages | 137 (044)-138 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 2002 |