A Bursaphelenchus xylophilus effector BxICD1 inducing plant cell death, concurrently contributes to nematode virulence and migration.

ABSTRACT: The migratory endoparasitic phytonematodes Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is the causal agent of pine wilt disease and causes significant economic damage to pine forests in China. Effectors play a key role in the successful parasitism of plants by phytonematodes. In this study, 210 genes obtained by transcriptomics analyses were found to be upregulated in B. xylophilus infecting Pinus massoniana that were not functionally annotated nor reported previously in B. xylophilus infecting P. thunbergii. Among these differentially expressed genes, a novel effector, BxICD1, that could induce cell death in the extracellular space of Nicotiana benthamiana was identified. BxICD1 was upregulated in the early stages of infection, as shown by RT-qPCR analyses.

SUBMITTER: Li Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10933036 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature