Dataset Information

Genetic analysis of tolerance to the root lesion nematode Pratylenchus neglectus in the legume Medicago littoralis.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The nematode Pratylenchus neglectus has a wide host range and is able to feed on the root systems of cereals, oilseeds, grain and pasture legumes. Under the Mediterranean low rainfall environments of Australia, annual Medicago pasture legumes are used in rotation with cereals to fix atmospheric nitrogen and improve soil parameters. Considerable efforts are being made in breeding programs to improve resistance and tolerance to Pratylenchus neglectus in the major crops wheat and barley, which makes it vital to develop appropriate selection tools in medics. RESULTS: A strong source of tolerance to root damage by the root lesion nematode (RLN) Pratylenchus neglectus had previously been identified in line RH-1 (strand medic, M. littoralis). Using RH-1, we have developed a single seed descent (SSD) population of 138 lines by crossing it to the intolerant cultivar Herald. After inoculation, RLN-associated root damage clearly segregated in the population. Genetic analysis was performed by constructing a genetic map using simple sequence repeat (SSR) and gene-based SNP markers. A highly significant quantitative trait locus (QTL), QPnTolMl.1, was identified explaining 49% of the phenotypic variation in the SSD population. All SSRs and gene-based markers in the QTL region were derived from chromosome 1 of the sequenced genome of the closely related species M. truncatula. Gene-based markers were validated in advanced breeding lines derived from the RH-1 parent and also a second RLN tolerance source, RH-2 (M. truncatula ssp. tricycla). Comparative analysis to sequenced legume genomes showed that the physical QTL interval exists as a synteny block in Lotus japonicus, common bean, soybean and chickpea. Furthermore, using the sequenced genome information of M. truncatula, the QTL interval contains 55 genes out of which five are discussed as potential candidate genes responsible for the mapped tolerance. CONCLUSION: The closely linked set of SNP-based PCR markers is directly applicable to select for two different sources of RLN tolerance in breeding programs. Moreover, genome sequence information has allowed proposing candidate genes for further functional analysis and nominates QPnTolMl.1 as a target locus for RLN tolerance in economically important grain legumes, e.g. chickpea.

SUBMITTER: Oldach KH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4021308 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genetic analysis of tolerance to the root lesion nematode Pratylenchus neglectus in the legume Medicago littoralis.

Oldach Klaus H KH Peck David M DM Nair Ramakrishnan M RM Sokolova Maria M Harris John J Bogacki Paul P Ballard Ross R

BMC plant biology 20140417

<h4>Background</h4>The nematode Pratylenchus neglectus has a wide host range and is able to feed on the root systems of cereals, oilseeds, grain and pasture legumes. Under the Mediterranean low rainfall environments of Australia, annual Medicago pasture legumes are used in rotation with cereals to fix atmospheric nitrogen and improve soil parameters. Considerable efforts are being made in breeding programs to improve resistance and tolerance to Pratylenchus neglectus in the major crops wheat and ...[more]

PMID: 24742262

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Project description:Root lesion nematodes, Pratylenchus penetrans, are major pests of legumes with little options for their control. We aimed to prime soybean cv. Primus seedlings to improve basic defense against these nematodes by root application of N-3-oxo-tetradecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (oxo-C14-HSL). The invasion of soybean roots by P. penetrans was significantly reduced in plants that were pre-treated with the oxo-C14-HSL producing rhizobacterium Ensifer meliloti strain ExpR+, compared to non-inoculated plants or plants inoculated with the nearly isogenic strain E. meliloti AttM with plasmid-mediated oxo-C14-HSL degradation. The nematodes were more clustered in the root tissues of plants treated with the AttM strain or the control compared to roots treated with the ExpR+ strain. In split-root systems primed on one side with strain ExpR+, root invasion was reduced on the opposite side compared to non-primed plants indicating a systemic plant response to oxo-C14-HSL. No additional local effect was detected, when inoculating nematodes on the ExpR+ primed side. Removal of oxo-C14-HSL after root exposure resulted in reduced root invasion compared to non-primed plants when the nematodes were added 3, 7, or 15 days later. Thus, probably the plant memorized the priming stimulus. Similarly, the plants were primed by compounds released from the surface of the nematodes. HPLC analysis of the root extracts of oxo-C14-HSL treated and untreated plants revealed that priming resulted in enhanced phytoalexin synthesis upon P. penetrans challenge. Without root invading nematodes, the phytoalexin concentrations of primed and non-primed plants did not significantly differ, indicating that priming did not lead to a persistently increased stress level of the plants. Upon nematode invasion, the phytoalexins coumestrol, genistein, and glyceollin increased in concentration in the roots compared to control plants without nematodes. Glyceollin synthesis was significantly more triggered by nematodes in primed plants compared to non-primed plants. The results indicated that the priming of soybean plants led to a more rapid and strong defense induction upon root invasion of nematodes.

Project description:BACKGROUND: Medicago truncatula Gaertn. (barrel medic) is cultivated as a pasture legume for its high protein content and ability to improve soils through nitrogen fixation. Toxic concentrations of the micronutrient Boron (B) in agricultural soils hamper the production of cereal and leguminous crops. In cereals, the genetic analysis of B tolerance has led to the development of molecular selection tools to introgress and maintain the B tolerance trait in breeding lines. There is a comparable need for selection tools in legumes that grow on these toxic soils, often in rotation with cereals. RESULTS: Genetic variation for B tolerance in Medicago truncatula was utilised to generate two F2 populations from crosses between tolerant and intolerant parents. Phenotyping under B stress revealed a close correlation between B tolerance and biomass production and a segregation ratio explained by a single dominant locus. M. truncatula homologues of the Arabidopsis major intrinsic protein (MIP) gene AtNIP5;1 and the efflux-type transporter gene AtBOR1, both known for B transport, were identified and nearby molecular markers screened across F2 lines to verify linkage with the B-tolerant phenotype. Most (95%) of the phenotypic variation could be explained by the SSR markers h2_6e22a and h2_21b19a, which flank a cluster of five predicted MIP genes on chromosome 4. Three CAPS markers (MtBtol-1,-2,-3) were developed to dissect the region further. Expression analysis of the five predicted MIPs indicated that only MtNIP3 was expressed when leaf tissue and roots were assessed. MtNIP3 showed low and equal expression in the roots of tolerant and intolerant lines but a 4-fold higher expression level in the leaves of B-tolerant cultivars. The expression profile correlates closely with the B concentration measured in the leaves and roots of tolerant and intolerant plants. Whereas no significant difference in B concentration exists between roots of tolerant and intolerant plants, the B concentration in the leaves of tolerant plants is less than half that of intolerant plants, which further supports MtNIP3 as the best candidate for the tolerance trait-defining gene in Medicago truncatula. CONCLUSION: The close linkage of the MtNIP3 locus to B toxicity tolerance provides a source of molecular selection tools to pasture breeding programs. The economical importance of the locus warrants further investigation of the individual members of the MIP gene cluster in other pasture and in grain legumes.

Dataset Information

Genetic analysis of tolerance to the root lesion nematode Pratylenchus neglectus in the legume Medicago littoralis.

Publications

Genetic analysis of tolerance to the root lesion nematode Pratylenchus neglectus in the legume Medicago littoralis.

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