The root knot nematode effector MiEFF186 interacts with a splicing factor to reshape plant transcriptome
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita secretes specific effectors to manipulate root cells and induce their redifferentiation into multinucleate feeding ‘giant cells’, which are essential for its development. A dedicated screen identified the Meloidogyne incognita MiEFF186a effector as a regulator of alternative splicing, a crucial mechanism of transcriptional gene regulation whereby a single gene can produce multiple mature mRNA variants, in plants. EFF186 is expressed in the esophageal glands of nematode juveniles, and in planta , it localizes to the nucleus and accumulates in the nucleolus. A yeast two-hybrid approach identified the nucleolar G-patch protein GDP1/CIS2 as a MiEFF186a target in tomato and Arabidopsis. Transcriptomic analyses of Arabidopsis roots ectopically expressing MiEFF186a or impaired in GDP1/CIS2 function revealed changes in both gene expression and alternative splicing, with partially overlapping responses. Finally, alteration of GDP1/CIS2 expression by virus-induced gene silencing in Solanaceae or in Arabidopsis gdp1 mutants affects susceptibility to M. incognita . Together, these results identify GDP1/CIS2 as a host target of MiEFF186a and support a role for these proteins in the modulation of host RNA metabolism during nematode parasitism.
Institutions: Université Côte d'Azur, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, Université de Toulouse, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institut des Sciences des Plantes de Paris Saclay, Laboratoire des Interactions Plantes Microbes Environnement
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7221795022