A New Class of Ubiquitin Extension Proteins Secreted by the Dorsal Pharyngeal Gland in Plant Parasitic Cyst Nematodes

• DOI: 10.1094/mpmi.2004.17.8.846
• Publication Date: 2007-05-11T09:31:02Z
• Authors: Tom Tytgat; Bartel Vanholme; Jan De Meutter; Myriam Claeys; Marjolein Couvreur; Isabelle Vanhoutte; Greetje Gheysen; Wim Van Criekinge; Gaetan Borgonie; August Coomans; Godelieve Gheysen
• Keywords: Nicotiana; 0303 health sciences; DNA, Complementary; Nematoda; Ubiquitin; Molecular Sequence Data; Botany; Helminth Proteins; Microbiology; Plant Roots; QR1-502; Host-Parasite Interactions; Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; 03 medical and health sciences; QK1-989; Globodera; Animals; Pharynx; Amino Acid Sequence

By performing cDNA AFLP on pre- and early parasitic juveniles, we identified genes encoding a novel type of ubiquitin extension proteins secreted by the dorsal pharyngeal gland in the cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii. The proteins consist of three domains, a signal peptide for secretion, a mono-ubiquitin domain, and a short C-terminal positively charged domain. A gfp-fusion of this protein is targeted to the nucleolus in tobacco BY-2 cells. We hypothesize that the C-terminal peptide might have a regulatory function during syncytium formation in plant roots.