Identification of neuropeptides,flp-1 and flp-12 targeting neuromuscular system of rice root knot nematode (RRKN) Meloidogyne graminicola

Root-knot nematodes (RKNs), Meloidogyne spp, are found in all temperate and tropical areas, and are among the most damagingplant pathogens worldwide. M. graminincola is an economically important root parasite on upland, lowland and deepwater rice.FMRFamide-like peptides (FLPs) play significant role as neurotransmitters or neuromodulators in the nervous system andproposed as one of the important targets for the plant parasitic nematode management. Therefore, for the first time, we havecloned and characterized two neuropeptide genes (flp-1 and flp-12) from the cDNA of preparasitic second stage juveniles of M.graminicola. The flp-12 contains putative 22 residue long signal peptide at N-terminal suggesting function as an extra-cellularprotein. We have found highly conserved motif LFRGR in flp-1. These two flp genes could be interesting and potential targets forfunctional validation to explore their utility for designing management strategies.