Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

In vivo and In vitro Infection of Potato Roots with Plant Parasitic Nematodes for the Assessment of Induced Structural Changes
Published on: February 28, 2025
Effects of hydroclytic enzymes on plant-parasitic nematodes
1Department of Plant Pathology and Botany, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT 06504, USA.
Abstract:
Proteases, lipase, and chitinase killed Tylenchorhynchus dubius in vitro and in soil. Tylenchorhynchus dubius was more susceptible to the enzymes than Pratylenchus penetrans. Papain was the most effective protease, and other enzymes were less effective. Heating enzymes to 80 C for 10 min greatly reduced nematicidal effectiveness. Scanning electron micrographs showed that papain and chitinase produced structural changes in the cuticle of T. dubius. Lipase removed a thin outer layer. Papain removed material filling the striata, or furrow, between the horizontal bands. When added to soil, chitinase, lipase, collagenase, and proteases (papain and bromelain) decreased motility of T. dubius populations up to 75%. Bromelain was the most active in soil against T. dubius, and collagenase was the most active in soil against P. penetrans.
Related Concept Videos
Microbe-Plant Interactions
Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores
Anthelminthic Agents
Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores
Microbial Interactions: Parasitism
Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which the addition of water breaks down a polymer into its simpler monomer units. For example, peptides break into amino acids, carbohydrates into simple sugars, and DNA into nucleotides. Enzymes often facilitate these processes.
Hydrolysis Reverses Dehydration Synthesis
Complex carbohydrates can be broken down by breaking the bonds between individual sugar units. The reaction breaks a glycosidic bond as water is added to the compound. The...

