2005 journal article

Root-knot nematodes and bacterial Nod factors elicit common signal transduction events in Lotus japonicus

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 102(8), 3147–3152.

By: R. Weerasinghe n, D. Bird n  & N. Allen n

author keywords: cytoskeleton; NemF; rhizobia; actin; microtubule
MeSH headings : Animals; Cytoskeleton / physiology; Lipopolysaccharides / pharmacology; Lotus / physiology; Signal Transduction / physiology; Symbiosis; Tylenchoidea / physiology
TL;DR: It is proposed that plant-parasitic root-knot nematodes have adapted at least part of the symbiont-response pathway to enhance their parasitic ability. (via Semantic Scholar)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
2. Zero Hunger (Web of Science)
15. Life on Land (OpenAlex)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: August 6, 2018

The symbiosis responsible for nitrogen fixation in legume root nodules is initiated by rhizobial signaling molecules [Nod factors (NF)]. Using transgenically tagged microtubules and actin, we dynamically profiled the spatiotemporal changes in the cytoskeleton of living Lotus japonicus root hairs, which precede root-hair deformation and reflect one of the earliest host responses to NF. Remarkably, plant-parasitic root-knot nematodes (RKN) invoke a cytoskeletal response identical to that seen in response to NF and induce root-hair waviness and branching in legume root hairs via a signal able to function at a distance. Azide-killed nematodes do not produce this signal. A similar response to RKN was seen in tomato. Aspects of the host responses to RKN were altered or abolished by mutations in the NF receptor genes nfr1 , nfr5 , and symRK , suggesting that RKN produce a molecule with functional equivalence to NF, which we name NemF. Because the ability of RKN to establish feeding sites and reproduce was markedly reduced in the mutant lines, we propose that RKN have adapted at least part of the symbiont-response pathway to enhance their parasitic ability.