The Meloidogyne incognita Nuclear Effector MiEFF1 Interacts With Arabidopsis Cytosolic Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases to Promote Parasitism

• Published in: Frontiers in plant science Vol. 12; p. 641480
• Main Authors: Truong, Nhat My, Chen, Yongpan, Mejias, Joffrey, Soulé, Salomé, Mulet, Karine, Jaouannet, Maëlle, Jaubert-Possamai, Stéphanie, Sawa, Shinichiro, Abad, Pierre, Favery, Bruno, Quentin, Michaël
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers 09-04-2021; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases; effector; giant cell; Life Sciences; Plant Science; root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita); susceptibility gene; cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases; effector; susceptibility gene; giant cell; root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita); cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3phosphate dehydrogenases
• ISSN: 1664-462X; 1664-462X
• DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.641480

Root-knot nematodes are obligate endoparasites that maintain a biotrophic relationship with their hosts over a period of several weeks. They induce the differentiation of root cells into specialized multinucleate hypertrophied feeding cells known as giant cells. Nematode effectors synthesized in the esophageal glands and injected into the plant tissue through the syringe-like stylet play a key role in giant cell ontogenesis. The
MiEFF1 is one of the rare effectors of phytopathogenic nematodes to have been located
in feeding cells. This effector specifically targets the giant cell nuclei. We investigated the
functions modulated by this effector, by using a yeast two-hybrid approach to identify its host targets. We characterized a universal stress protein (USP) and cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases (GAPCs) as the targets of MiEFF1. We validated the interaction of MiEFF1 with these host targets in the plant cell nucleus, by bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC). A functional analysis with
GUS reporter lines and knockout mutant lines showed that GAPCs were induced in giant cells and that their non-metabolic functions were required for root-knot nematode infection. These susceptibility factors are potentially interesting targets for the development of new root-knot nematode control strategies.