Plant degradation: a nematode expansin acting on plants.
Expansin proteins, which have so far been identified only in plants, rapidly induce extension of plant cell walls by weakening the non-covalent interactions that help to maintain their integrity. Here we show that an animal, the plant-parasitic roundworm Globodera rostochiensis, can also produce a functional expansin, which it uses to loosen cell walls when invading its host plant. As this nematode is known to be able to disrupt covalent bonds in plant cell walls, its accompanying ability to loosen non-covalent bonds challenges the prevailing view that animals are genetically poorly equipped to degrade plant cell walls.
Qin
Ling
L
Laboratory of Nematology, Graduate School of Experimental Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, 6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Kudla
Urszula
U
Roze
Erwin H A
EH
Goverse
Aska
A
Popeijus
Herman
H
Nieuwland
Jeroen
J
Overmars
Hein
H
Jones
John T
JT
Schots
Arjen
A
Smant
Geert
G
Bakker
Jaap
J
Helder
Johannes
J
D000818:Animals; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009348:Nematoda / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D059828:Plant Cells; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D010940:Plant Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C095825:expansin protein, plant