March
2006
, Volume
19
, Number
3
Pages
280
-
287
Authors
Taisei
Kikuchi
,
1
Hajime
Shibuya
,
1
Takuya
Aikawa
,
1
and
John T.
Jones
2
Affiliations
1Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan; 2Plant-Pathogen Interactions Programme, Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, U.K.
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RelatedArticle
Accepted 3 November 2005.
Abstract
Two pectate lyase genes (Bx-pel-1 and Bx-pel-2) were cloned from the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xy-lophilus. The deduced amino acid sequences of these pectate lyases are most similar to polysaccharide lyase family 3 proteins. Recombinant BxPEL1 showed highest activity on polygalacturonic acid and lower activity on more highly methylated pectin. Recombinant BxPEL1 demonstrated full dependency on Ca2+ for activity and optimal activity at 55°C and pH 8 to 10 like other pectate lyases of polysaccharide lyase family 3. The protein sequences have predicted signal peptides at their N-termini and the genes are expressed solely in the esophageal gland cells of the nematode, indicating that the pectate lyases could be secreted into plant tissues to help feeding and migration in the tree. This study suggests that pectate lyases are widely distributed in plant-parasitic nematodes and play an important role in plant-nematode interactions.
JnArticleKeywords
Additional keywords:
horizontal gene transfer.
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© 2006 The American Phytopathological Society