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The use of fluorescent reporter protein tagging to study the interaction between Root-Knot Nematodes and Soft Rot

A Mongae1, G C Kubheka, N Moleleki

  • 1Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Forestry Agriculture and Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.

Letters in Applied Microbiology
|January 26, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Root-knot nematodes (RKN) may spread the bacterium Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliensis (Pcb) in soil. RKN juveniles can introduce Pcb into potato tubers, causing latent infections.

Area of Science:

  • Plant pathology
  • Nematology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Interactions between plant parasitic nematodes and phytopathogenic bacteria are underexplored.
  • Symptom development is a common but challenging metric for studying these interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interaction between Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliensis (Pcb) and Meloidogyne incognita (M. incognita) using mCherry as a reporter protein.
  • To determine if M. incognita juveniles disseminate Pcb in soil and introduce it into potato tubers.

Main Methods:

  • Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliensis (Pcb) was transformed with pMP7604 to create the Pcb_mCherry strain.
  • The attachment of Pcb_mCherry to M. incognita J2 was observed at 28°C.

Main Results:

  • Pcb_mCherry was observed to attach to the surface coat of M. incognita J2.
  • This attachment occurred optimally at 28°C.
  • M. incognita juveniles were implicated in the dissemination of Pcb in soil and the introduction of Pcb_mCherry into potato tubers.

Conclusions:

  • Root-knot nematode juveniles may facilitate the spread of Pcb in infested soils.
  • RKN juveniles can introduce Pcb into potato tubers, potentially leading to latent infections.

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