A Conserved Root-Knot Nematode Effector Interacts with Plant Kinesin Light Chain–Related Proteins to Promote Parasitism
Abstract
Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) are obligate plant parasites that establish biotrophic interactions with a wide range of host plants, causing major crop losses worldwide. During infection, RKNs secrete effector proteins from their esophageal glands into root tissues via a stylet. These effectors target specific subcellular compartments and manipulate host cell functions to induce the formation of hypertrophied and multinucleated giant cells, which serve as feeding sites essential for nematode development. Here, we describe a new RKN-specific effector, EFFECTOR17 (EFF17), conserved in the five most damaging RKN species: Meloidogyne incognita, M. enterolobii, M. arenaria, M. javanica, and M. hapla. In situ hybridization showed that EFF17 genes are specifically expressed in the esophageal glands of various RKN species. Silencing EFF17 in M. incognita reduced its reproduction on Nicotiana benthamiana, supporting a contribution to parasitism. Yeast two-hybrid and split luciferase assays revealed that MiEFF17 interacts with tomato and Arabidopsis KINESIN LIGHT CHAIN RELATED (KLCR)/CELLULOSE-MICROTUBULE
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BibTeX
@article{soule2026conserved,
title = {{A Conserved Root-Knot Nematode Effector Interacts with Plant Kinesin Light Chain–Related Proteins to Promote Parasitism}},
author = {Salomé Soulé and Sprine Misiani and Karine Mulet and Isabelle Mila and Jess Philippon and Claire Caravel and Ertai Wu and Joffrey Mejias and Stéphanie Jaubert and Pierre Abad and Nemo Peeters and Bruno Favery and Michaël Quentin},
journal = {Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1094/mpmi-03-26-0029-r},
url = {https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05856710v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A Conserved Root-Knot Nematode Effector Interacts with Plant Kinesin Light Chain–Related Proteins to Promote Parasitism
AU - Salomé Soulé
AU - Sprine Misiani
AU - Karine Mulet
AU - Isabelle Mila
AU - Jess Philippon
AU - Claire Caravel
AU - Ertai Wu
AU - Joffrey Mejias
AU - Stéphanie Jaubert
AU - Pierre Abad
AU - Nemo Peeters
AU - Bruno Favery
AU - Michaël Quentin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
DO - 10.1094/mpmi-03-26-0029-r
UR - https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05856710v1
AB - Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) are obligate plant parasites that establish biotrophic interactions with a wide range of host plants, causing major crop losses worldwide. During infection, RKNs secrete effector proteins from their esophageal glands into root tissues via a stylet. These effectors target specific subcellular compartments and manipulate host cell functions to induce the formation of hypertrophied and multinucleated giant cells, which serve as feeding sites essential for nematode development. Here, we describe a new RKN-specific effector, EFFECTOR17 (EFF17), conserved in the five most damaging RKN species: Meloidogyne incognita, M. enterolobii, M. arenaria, M. javanica, and M. hapla. In situ hybridization showed that EFF17 genes are specifically expressed in the esophageal glands of various RKN species. Silencing EFF17 in M. incognita reduced its reproduction on Nicotiana benthamiana, supporting a contribution to parasitism. Yeast two-hybrid and split luciferase assays revealed that MiEFF17 interacts with tomato and Arabidopsis KINESIN LIGHT CHAIN RELATED (KLCR)/CELLULOSE-MICROTUBULE
SN - 0894-0282
SN - 1943-7706
ER -