title: Calreticulin is required for responding to stress, foraging, and fertility in the white-tip nematode, Aphelenchoides besseyi.
abstract: Calreticulin (CRT) regulates a wide array of cellular responses in physiological and pathological processes. A full-length cDNA-encoding CRT protein, namely AbCRT-1, was isolated from Aphelenchoides besseyi, an ectoparasitic plant nematode and the agent of white tip disease of rice. The deduced amino acid sequence of AbCRT-1 was highly homologous with other nematode CRTs, and showed the closest evolutionary relationship with BxCRT-1. In-situ hybridization showed that AbCRT-1 is specifically located in the oesophageal gland and gonads of A. besseyi, suggesting its potential role in parasitism and reproduction. Quantity real-time PCR analysis showed that AbCRT-1 is highly expressed in female nematodes but poorly expressed in eggs, juveniles, and male nematodes. Exposing the nematode to relatively low osmotic stress promotes the transcription of AbCRT-1 whereas extreme desiccation suppresses the transcription significantly. Nematodes in which AbCRT-1 mRNA level had been knocked down by soaking them in AbCRT-1 dsRNA solution distributed randomly and did not aggregate temporally, with a decreased capacity of food discernment. Thus the affected nematodes were markedly less fecund. These results demonstrate that AbCRT-1 is required in A. besseyi for responding to stress, foraging, and fertility.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China. Electronic address: weilihui@jaas.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Lihui
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China.
authors.forename: Huaigu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China. Electronic address: yjzhou@jass.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Yijun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D037282:Calreticulin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000737:chemistry; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012275:Oryza / Q000469:parasitology; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D034622:RNA Interference; D018510:RNA, Helminth / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D017187:Tylenchida / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D037282:Calreticulin; D018509:DNA, Helminth; D018510:RNA, Helminth
keywords: Aphelenchoides besseyi; Calreticulin; RNAi; cDNA cloning