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Pathogens
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Microbe-Nematode Interactions
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Microbe-Nematode Interactions

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 12367

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Keqin Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Life Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
Interests: Nematophagous fungi; plant parasitic nematode; biocontrol; C. elegans; infection; innate immune response

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

For decades, scientists have been interested in developing environmental-friendly biological control agents to control the population of plant parasitic nematodes. Thus, as the natural enemies of nematode, nematophagous microorganisms have attracted significant attention. However, the practical application of these nematophagous microorganisms is still limited, partly due to their relatively low effectiveness and inconsistency in agricultural and forest environments. Thus, elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the interactions between nematophagous microorganisms and nematodes is crucial for the development of highly effective biological control agents for the management of plant-parasitic nematodes.

Nematodes have evolved specific defense mechanisms against pathogen attack. Up to now, studies using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model host have identified a variety of signaling pathways involved in the innate immune responses to microbial infections.

This Special Issue will cover a wide range of topics focusing on the interactions between microbe and nematode species. We aim to help to enhance current knowledge of this field. All types of articles will be considered for publication, including short reports, primary research articles, and reviews.

We look forward to your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Keqin Zhang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Nematophagous microorganisms
  • Nematode
  • Microbe-nematode interaction

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 14219 KiB  
Article
AWA and ASH Homologous Sensing Genes of Meloidogyne incognita Contribute to the Tomato Infection Process
by Yuxin Li, Qiaona Ren, Tingting Bo, Minghe Mo and Yajun Liu
Pathogens 2022, 11(11), 1322; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11111322 - 10 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1162
Abstract
The AWA neurons of Caenorhabditis elegans mainly perceive volatile attractive odors, while the ASH neurons perceive pH, penetration, nociception, odor tropism, etc. The perceptual neurons of Meloidogyne incognita have been little studied. The number of infestations around and within tomato roots was significantly [...] Read more.
The AWA neurons of Caenorhabditis elegans mainly perceive volatile attractive odors, while the ASH neurons perceive pH, penetration, nociception, odor tropism, etc. The perceptual neurons of Meloidogyne incognita have been little studied. The number of infestations around and within tomato roots was significantly reduced after RNA interference for high-homology genes in AWA and ASH neurons compared between M. incognita and C. elegans. Through in situ hybridization, we further determined the expression and localization of the homologous genes Mi-odr-10 and Mi-gpa-6 in M. incognita. In this study, we found that M. incognita has neuronal sensing pathways similar to AWA and ASH perception of C. elegans for sensing chemical signals from tomato roots. Silencing the homologous genes in these pathways could affect the nematode perception and infestation of tomato root systems. The results contribute to elucidating the process of the plant host perception of M. incognita. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbe-Nematode Interactions)
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13 pages, 3240 KiB  
Article
The p38 MAPK/PMK-1 Pathway Is Required for Resistance to Nocardia farcinica Infection in Caenorhabditis elegance
by Ruiqiu Yang, Yingqian Kang, Jiahong Duan, Chenggang Zou and Qinyi Wu
Pathogens 2022, 11(10), 1071; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11101071 - 21 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1611
Abstract
Nocardia farcinica is an opportunistic pathogen that causes nocardiosis primarily in patients with compromised immune systems. In this study, we used the genetically tractable organism Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to study the innate immune responses to N. farcinica infection. We found that [...] Read more.
Nocardia farcinica is an opportunistic pathogen that causes nocardiosis primarily in patients with compromised immune systems. In this study, we used the genetically tractable organism Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to study the innate immune responses to N. farcinica infection. We found that unlike other pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, N. farcinica failed to kill adult worms. In another words, adult worms exposed to N. farcinica exhibited a normal lifespan, compared with those fed the standard laboratory food bacterium Escherichia coli OP50. Interestingly, deletion of three core genes (pmk-1, nsy-1 and sek-1) in the p38 MAPK/PMK-1 pathway reduced the survival of worm exposure to N. farcinica, highlighting a crucial role of this pathway for C. elegans in resistance to N. farcinica. Furthermore, our results revealed that N. farcinica exposure up-regulated the level of PMK-1 phosphorylation. The activation of PMK-1 promoted nuclear translocation of a transcription factor SKN-1/Nrf2, which in turn mediated N. farcinica infection resistance in C. elegans. Our results provide an excellent example that the integrity of immune system is key aspect for counteract with pathogenesis of N. farcinica. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbe-Nematode Interactions)
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12 pages, 16326 KiB  
Article
Amphiphysin AoRvs167-Mediated Membrane Curvature Facilitates Trap Formation, Endocytosis, and Stress Resistance in Arthrobotrys oligospora
by Peijie Cui, Mengqing Tian, Jinrong Huang, Xi Zheng, Yingqi Guo, Guohong Li and Xin Wang
Pathogens 2022, 11(9), 997; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11090997 - 31 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1728
Abstract
Bin1/Amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) domain-containing proteins mediate fundamental cellular processes, including membrane remodeling and endocytosis. Nematode-trapping (NT) fungi can differentiate to form trapping structures through highly reorganized cell membranes and walls. In this study, we identified the NT fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora ortholog of yeast Rvs167 [...] Read more.
Bin1/Amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) domain-containing proteins mediate fundamental cellular processes, including membrane remodeling and endocytosis. Nematode-trapping (NT) fungi can differentiate to form trapping structures through highly reorganized cell membranes and walls. In this study, we identified the NT fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora ortholog of yeast Rvs167 and documented its involvement in membrane bending and endocytosis. We further confirmed that the deletion of AoRvs167 makes the fungus more hypersensitive to osmotic salt (Nacl), higher temperatures (28 to 30 °C), and the cell wall perturbation agent Congo red. In addition, the disruption of AoRvs167 reduced the trap formation capacity. Hence, AoRvs167 may regulate fungal pathogenicity through the integrity of plasma membranes and cell walls. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbe-Nematode Interactions)
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11 pages, 1199 KiB  
Article
Pathogenicity and Metabolites of Purpureocillium lavendulum YMF1.00683 against Meloidogyne incognita
by Zheng-Xue Bao, Rui Liu, Chun-Qiang Li, Xue-Rong Pan and Pei-Ji Zhao
Pathogens 2022, 11(7), 795; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11070795 - 14 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1571
Abstract
Purpureocillium lavendulum is a biological control agent with several registered products that can parasitize the eggs and larvae of various pathogenic nematodes. In this study, the pathogenicity and secondary metabolites of the fungus P. lavendulum YMF1.00683 were investigated. The strain YMF1.00683 had infection [...] Read more.
Purpureocillium lavendulum is a biological control agent with several registered products that can parasitize the eggs and larvae of various pathogenic nematodes. In this study, the pathogenicity and secondary metabolites of the fungus P. lavendulum YMF1.00683 were investigated. The strain YMF1.00683 had infection efficiency against the plant root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. The strain’s process of infecting nematodes was observed under a microscope. Moreover, seven metabolites, including a new sterol (1), were isolated and identified from cultures of YMF1.0068 in Sabouraud’s dextrose agar. A bioassay showed that 5-methoxymethyl-1H-pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde (7) is toxic to M. incognita and affects the egg hatching. It caused 98.23% mortality in M. incognita and could inhibit 80.78% of the hatching eggs at 400 μg/mL over a period of 96 h. Furthermore, 5-methoxymethyl-1H-pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde (7) showed a strong avoidance effect at 40 ppm, and its chemotactic index value was −0.37. The results indicate that P. lavendulum could produce active metabolites against M. incognita. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbe-Nematode Interactions)
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13 pages, 2170 KiB  
Article
Identification of Three Novel Conidiogenesis-Related Genes in the Nematode-Trapping Fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora
by Xiaoying Liu, Qiao Miao, Zong Zhou, Siyi Lu and Juan Li
Pathogens 2022, 11(7), 717; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11070717 - 23 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1409
Abstract
For filamentous fungi, conidiogenesis is the most common reproductive strategy for environmental dispersal, invasion, and proliferation. Understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling conidiation and increasing conidium yield may provide promising applications in commercial development in the future for nematode-trapping fungi. However, the molecular mechanism [...] Read more.
For filamentous fungi, conidiogenesis is the most common reproductive strategy for environmental dispersal, invasion, and proliferation. Understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling conidiation and increasing conidium yield may provide promising applications in commercial development in the future for nematode-trapping fungi. However, the molecular mechanism for regulating conidium production of filamentous fungi is not fully understood. In this study, we characterized three novel conidiogenesis-related genes via gene knockout in A. oligospora. The absence of the genes AoCorA and AoRgsD caused significant increases in conidia production, while the absence of AoXlnR resulted in a decrease in conidiogenesis. Moreover, we characterized the ortholog of AbaA, a well-known conidiogenesis-related gene in Aspergillus nidulans. The deletion of AoAbaA not only completely abolished conidium production but also affected the production of nematode-trapping traps. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbe-Nematode Interactions)
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17 pages, 2158 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Nematicidal Activity and Nematode-Toxic Metabolites of a Soilborne Brevundimonas bullata Isolate
by Jiaoqing Li, Meijuan Ding, Xiaowen Sun, Zhe Li, Liangzheng Xu and Lin Li
Pathogens 2022, 11(6), 708; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11060708 - 20 Jun 2022
Viewed by 1605
Abstract
The increasing prevalence of crop-threatening root-knot nematodes (RKNs) has stimulated extensive research to discover effective nematicides. A highly focused strategy for accomplishing this is the development of biocontrol agents by a variety of soilborne microorganisms, as different bacterial metabolites have demonstrated promising nematicidal [...] Read more.
The increasing prevalence of crop-threatening root-knot nematodes (RKNs) has stimulated extensive research to discover effective nematicides. A highly focused strategy for accomplishing this is the development of biocontrol agents by a variety of soilborne microorganisms, as different bacterial metabolites have demonstrated promising nematicidal activities. In this study, we characterized the nematicidal and suppressive activity of a bacterial isolate against the agriculturally important RKN Meloidogyne incognita and the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and the main M. incognita-toxic metabolite of the strain. After a preliminary screening of 22 bacterial isolates with a corrected mortality (CM) of whole-cell culture greater than 50% against C. elegans from different RKN-incident soils in China, a total of 14 isolates with CM of the supernatant of culture suspension (SCS) higher than 50% against both M. incognita and C. elegans were rescreened. An isolate with the highest CM of 86.1% and 95.0% for M. incognita and C. elegans, respectively, was further identified as the species Brevundimonas bullata via morphological examination, physiological and biochemical assays and alignment analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences. The SCS of this strain, namely, B. bullata MB756, exhibited synchronous M. incognita killing activity along with significant detrimental effects on the growth, brood size, and locomotion of C. elegans. The effects of heat treatment, pH, inoculations, and protease K proteolysis on the CM of MB756 SCS were evaluated. A major M. incognita-toxic substance in the MB756 SCS was assayed and identified using thin-layer chromatography, column chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography with a mass spectrometer, and it was preliminarily identified as 2-ethylhexan-1-ol, with a molecular formula of C8H18O and a molecular weight of 130.3 Da. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbe-Nematode Interactions)
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14 pages, 3794 KiB  
Article
Functional Analysis of Two Affinity cAMP Phosphodiesterases in the Nematode-Trapping Fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora
by Ni Ma, Ke-Xin Jiang, Na Bai, Dong-Ni Li, Ke-Qin Zhang and Jin-Kui Yang
Pathogens 2022, 11(4), 405; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11040405 - 26 Mar 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2199
Abstract
Phosphodiesterases are essential regulators of cyclic nucleotide signaling with diverse physiological functions. Two phosphodiesterases, PdeH and PdeL, have been identified from yeast and filamentous fungi. Here, the orthologs of PdeH and PdeL were characterized in a typical nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora by gene [...] Read more.
Phosphodiesterases are essential regulators of cyclic nucleotide signaling with diverse physiological functions. Two phosphodiesterases, PdeH and PdeL, have been identified from yeast and filamentous fungi. Here, the orthologs of PdeH and PdeL were characterized in a typical nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora by gene disruption and phenotypic comparison. Deletion of AopdeH caused serious defects in mycelial growth, conidiation, stress response, trap formation, and nematicidal efficiency compared to the wild-type strain. In contrast, these phenotypes have no significant difference in the absence of AopdeL. In addition, deletion of AopdeH and AopdeL resulted in a remarkable increase in cAMP level during vegetative growth and trap formation, and the number of autophagosomes was decreased in ΔAopdeH and ΔAopdeL mutants, whereas their volumes considerably increased. Moreover, metabolomic analyses revealed that many metabolites were downregulated in ΔAopdeH mutant compared to their expression in the wild-type strain. Our results indicate that AoPdeH plays a crucial role in mycelial growth, conidiation, stress response, secondary metabolism, and trap formation. In contrast, AoPdeL only plays a minor role in hyphal and conidial morphology, autophagy, and trap formation in A. oligospora. This work expands the roles of phosphodiesterases and deepens the understanding of the regulation of trap formation in nematode-trapping fungi. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbe-Nematode Interactions)
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