The molecular basis of how cyst nematodes coordinate their life cycle with their host

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Plant-parasitic nematodes cause huge damage to global agriculture. In the UK, the potato cyst nematodes (PCN) are the most important pests of potato and an absence of effective control measures for PCN causes major problems for potato growers. A key point in the PCN life cycle is a dormant survival stage - the second stage juvenile - which remains unhatched and protected in the eggs. As PCN cannot infect other crops the unhatched nematode remains dormant until chemical cues are detected from the roots of growing potato plants. In our previous work we have identified an annexin protein present in the eggshell of PCN. We have shown that this annexin is required by the nematode to maintain the normal function of the eggshell and that the protein undergoes a change in the presence of the chemical cues present in root diffusates. These data suggest that this protein plays a key role in allowing the nematode to respond to the presence of host plants. Annexins are calcium dependent lipid binding proteins. In this project we aim to determine how the annexin responds to the presence of host chemical cues and calcium to control changes in the permeability of the lipid layers in the eggshell and thus provides a link between the nematode life cycle and the presence of a host plant.