root-knot nematodes exhibit strain-specific clumping behavior that is inherited as a simple genetic trait综合国内线虫展览毒株特异性聚集行为是遗传的作为一个简单的遗传特征.pdfVIP

Root-Knot Nematodes Exhibit Strain-Specific Clumping Behavior That Is Inherited as a Simple Genetic Trait Congli Wang, Steven Lower, Varghese P. Thomas, Valerie M. Williamson* Department of Nematology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America Abstract Root-knot nematodes are obligate parasites of a wide range of plant species and can feed only on the cytoplasm of living plant cells. In the absence of a suitable plant host, infective juveniles of strain VW9 of the Northern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne hapla, when dispersed in Pluronic F-127 gel, aggregate into tight, spherical clumps containing thousands of worms. Aggregation or clumping behavior has been observed in diverse genera in the phylum Nematoda spanning free- living species such as Caenorhabditis elegans as well as both plant and animal parasites. Clumping behavior differs between strains of M. hapla and occurs with other species within this genus where strain-specific differences in clumping ability are also apparent. Exposure of M. hapla juveniles to a gradient formed using low levels of cyanide promotes formation of clumps at a preferred cyanide level. Analysis of F2 lines from a cross of M. hapla strains that differ in clump-forming behavior reveals that the behavior segregates as a single, major locus that can be positioned on the genetic map of this nematode. Clumping behavior may be a survival strategy whose importance and function depend on the niche of the nematode strain or species. Citation: Wang C, Lower S, Thomas VP, Williamson VM (2010) Root-Knot Nematodes Exhibit Strain-Specific Clumping Behavior That Is Inherited as a Simple Genetic Trait. PLoS ONE 5(12): e15148. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015148 Editor: Catherine A. Wolkow, National Institute on Aging, United States of America Received September 9, 2010; Accepted October 27, 2010