Plant actin cytoskeleton re-modeling by plant parasitic nematodes

The cytoskeleton is an important component of the plant’s defense mechanism against the attack of pathogenic organisms. Plants however, are defenseless against parasitic rootknot and cyst nematodes and respond to the invasion by the development of a special feeding site that supplies the parasite with nutrients required for the completion of its life cycle. Recent studies of nematode invasion under treatment with cytoskeletal drugs and in mutant plants where normal functions of the cytoskeleton have been affected, demonstrate the importance of the cytoskeleton in the establishment of a feeding site and successful nematode reproduction. It appears that in the case of microfilaments, nematodes hijack the intracellular machinery that regulates actin dynamics and modulate the organization and properties of the actin filament network. Intervening with this process reduces the nematode infection efficiency and inhibits its life cycle. This discovery uncovers a new pathway that can be exploited for the protection of plants against nematodes.Key words: cytoskeleton, actin, actin depolymerizing factor, nematode, giant cells, syncytium, cytochalasin, taxol