Genome expression dynamics reveal the parasitism regulatory landscape of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita and a promoter motif associated with effector genes
Abstract
Root-knot nematodes (genus Meloidogyne) are the major contributor to crop losses caused by nematodes. These nematodes secrete effector proteins into the plant, derived from two sets of pharyngeal gland cells, to manipulate host physiology and immunity. Successful completion of the life cycle, involving successive molts from egg to adult, covers morphologically and functionally distinct stages and will require precise control of gene expression, including effector genes. The details of how root-knot nematodes regulate transcription remain sparse. Here, we report a life stage-specific transcriptome of Meloidogyne incognita. Combined with an available annotated genome, we explore the spatio-temporal regulation of gene expression. We reveal gene expression clusters and predicted functions that accompany the major developmental transitions. Focusing on effectors, we identify a putative cis-regulatory motif associated with expression in the dorsal glands, providing an insight into effector regulation. We combine the presence of this motif with several other criteria to predict a novel set of putative dorsal gland effectors. Finally, we show this motif, and thereby its utility, is broadly conserved across the Meloidogyne genus, and we name it Mel-DOG. Taken together, we provide the first genome-wide analysis of spatio-temporal gene expression in a root-knot nematode and identify a new set of candidate effector genes that will guide future functional analyses.
Citation
Da Rocha , M , Bournaud , C , Dazenière , J , Thorpe , P , Bailly-Bechet , M , Pellegrin , C , Péré , A , Grynberg , P , Perfus-Barbeoch , L , Eves-van den Akker , S & Danchin , E G J 2021 , ' Genome expression dynamics reveal the parasitism regulatory landscape of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita and a promoter motif associated with effector genes ' , Genes , vol. 12 , no. 5 , e771 . https://doi.org/10.3390/genes12050771
Publication
Genes
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
2073-4425Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Description
Work on plant-parasitic nematodes at the University of Cambridge is supported by DEFRA license 125034/359149/3, and funded by BBSRC grants BB/R011311/1, BB/N021908/1, and BB/S006397/1. C.P and C.B are supported by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowships.Collections
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