Genome reannotation and gland-specific transcriptome analysis identify new effector candidates in Meloidogyne chitwoodi.

ABSTRACT: The root-knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne chitwoodi is a threat for potato production in the western United States (U.S.), negatively impacting potato yield and product value. Meloidogyne chitwoodi produce proteins, called effectors, in their esophageal glands that are secreted during parasitism and play integral roles in plant-nematode interactions. Because the esophageal glands are the main effector secretory organs, we isolated juvenile gland cells and performed gland transcriptome analysis with our newly improved genome annotation. The gland-specific transcriptome data gave us an enrichment of gland-localized genes, which was validated by in situ hybridization. The gland transcriptome analysis led to the identification of 125 effector candidates. One of the effectors that was highly exp

SUBMITTER: Teixeira M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12614787 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature