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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #423052
Research Project: Plant-associated Nematode Management and Systematics and USDA Nematode Collection Curation

Location: Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory

Title: Molecular insights into migratory plant-parasitic nematodes

Author
item ESPADA, MARGARIDA - Universidade De Evora
item VICENTE, CLAUDIA - Universidade De Evora
item Reis Vieira, Paulo

Submitted to: Annual Review of Phytopathology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/4/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Nematodes are remarkably ubiquitous and the most abundant animals on the planet. This group of multicellular organisms, mostly microscopic, can thrive in diverse and extreme environments. The Phylum Nematoda is currently divided into twelve clades with plant parasitism evolving independently at least four times. Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are distributed across clades 1 (Triplonchida), 2 (Dorylaimida), 10 (Aphelenchoididae), and 12 (Tylenchida), and represent nearly a sixth of all known nematode species. PPNs represent a considerable challenge to global food security and forest ecosystems, causing substantial economic losses in major crops, estimated to exceed 157 billion dollars worldwide. The growing volume of high-quality sequencing data on migratory endoparasitic nematodes is enabling us to tackle more and new biological questions, uncovering fascinating aspects about their biology and genetic adaptations. The ongoing research in this field has resulted in a substantial increase in the number of additional candidate effectors and has uncovered a remarkable evolutionary trend within the effectoromes of various economically important species. This capital of knowledge will provide valuable insights for a holistic effector computational structural biology. This includes in-depth understanding of their host targets and pathways to gain a comprehensive knowledge of their molecular functions integrating a multidisciplinary omics approach. Understanding how effectors of these migratory PPNs interact with such a diverse range of host plants will elucidate the convergent and specific regulatory mechanisms targeted by these nematodes. Ultimately, the translation of these findings will facilitate the development of new gene-targeted strategies to manage these nematodes and create more resilient crops.