Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. Allan B. Caplan, University of Idaho
Additional Funding Sources
Research was supported in part by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. Grant # P20GM103408.
Presentation Date
7-16-2026
Abstract
Plant parasitic nematodes (PPN) have threatened global agriculture in recent years, accounting for estimated crop losses totaling $157 billion each year. In Idaho, these pests cause an estimated $25 million in annual crop losses, largely due to two genera of plant-parasitic nematodes: Meloidogyne spp. (root-knot nematodes; RKN) and Globodera pallida (pale cyst nematode; PCN). With potatoes cultivars largely susceptible, plant-nematode interactions must be better understood. Solanum sisymbriifolium (SSI), a wild resistant relative of potatoes, may provide insights for defense. Infection of SSI with PCN induced a five-fold increase in expression of a candidate defense gene 3 days post-inoculation (DPI). Inspection of the potato genome revealed an orthologous gene containing 87.7% sequence similarity. sqRT-PCR was used to test gene expression following nematode inoculation. PCN infection caused no significant change in expression over time, despite a minor increase at 42 DPI. On the contrary, M. hapla infection produced a significant change over time, driven by a decrease at 7 DPI. Results yielded that the potato ortholog responded to both G. pallida and M. hapla infections at lower levels compared to SSI. The data suggests that mechanisms involved in PCN and RKN recognition differ between potato and SSI.
Differential Gene Activation in Potato and Solanum sisymbriifolium Orthologs During Nematode Infection
Plant parasitic nematodes (PPN) have threatened global agriculture in recent years, accounting for estimated crop losses totaling $157 billion each year. In Idaho, these pests cause an estimated $25 million in annual crop losses, largely due to two genera of plant-parasitic nematodes: Meloidogyne spp. (root-knot nematodes; RKN) and Globodera pallida (pale cyst nematode; PCN). With potatoes cultivars largely susceptible, plant-nematode interactions must be better understood. Solanum sisymbriifolium (SSI), a wild resistant relative of potatoes, may provide insights for defense. Infection of SSI with PCN induced a five-fold increase in expression of a candidate defense gene 3 days post-inoculation (DPI). Inspection of the potato genome revealed an orthologous gene containing 87.7% sequence similarity. sqRT-PCR was used to test gene expression following nematode inoculation. PCN infection caused no significant change in expression over time, despite a minor increase at 42 DPI. On the contrary, M. hapla infection produced a significant change over time, driven by a decrease at 7 DPI. Results yielded that the potato ortholog responded to both G. pallida and M. hapla infections at lower levels compared to SSI. The data suggests that mechanisms involved in PCN and RKN recognition differ between potato and SSI.