The use of fluorescent reporter protein tagging to study the interaction between Root-Knot Nematodes and Soft Rot Enterobacteriaceae.
The study of plant parasitic nematodes such as Meloidogyne spp. and their interactions with phytopathogenic bacteria remains underexplored. One of the challenges towards establishing such interactions is the dependence on symptom development as a measure of interaction. In this study, mCherry was employed as a reporter protein to investigate the interaction between the soft rot Enterobacteriaceae (SRE) Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliensis (Pcb) and root-knot nematode (M. incognita). Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliensis was transformed with pMP7604 generating Pcb_mCherry strain. This strain was shown to attach to the surface coat of M.incognita J2 at the optimum temperature of 28°C. This suggests that RKN juveniles may play a role in disseminating Pcb in soils that are heavily infested with Pcb. The presence of RKN juveniles was shown to play a role in introducing Pcb_mCherry into potato tubers potentially acting as a source of latent tuber infections.
Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Forestry Agriculture and Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
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A
Mongae
G C
GC
Kubheka
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Moleleki
L N
LN
Moleleki
D000818:Animals; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016973:Pectobacterium carotovorum / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D035281:Plant Tubers / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D011198:Solanum tuberosum / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial; D014431:Tylenchoidea / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D000097573:Red Fluorescent Protein
D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D000097573:Red Fluorescent Protein