Abstract
The pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, reproduces bisexually: a haploid sperm fertilizes a haploid oocyte, and the two pronuclei rearrange, move together, fuse, and begin diploid development. Early embryonic events taking place in the B. xylophilus embryo are similar to those of Caenorhabditis elegans, although the anterior-posterior axis appears to be determined oppositely to that observed for C. elegans. That is, in the B. xylophilus embryo, the male pronucleus emerges at the future anterior end, whereas the female pronucleus appears laterally. To understand the evolution of nematode developmental systems, we cloned the full length of Bx-tbb-1 (beta tubulin) from B. xylophilus cDNA and attempted to apply reverse genetics analysis to B. xylophilus. Several lengths of double stranded RNA (dsRNA) for the Bx-tbb-1 gene were synthesized by in vitro transcription, and both B. xylophilus and C. elegans were soaked in dsRNA for RNAi. Both nematodes could suck up the dsRNA, and we could detect the abnormal phenotypes caused by Bx-tbb-1 dsRNA in C. elegans, but not in B. xylophilus. We suspect that systemic RNAi might be suppressed in B. xylophilus and are attempting to establish other methods for functionally analyzing B. xylophilus genes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Brenner, S. (1974). The genetics of Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 77: 71–94.
Fanelli, E., Di Vito, M., Jones, J. T. and De Giorgi, C. (2005). Analysis of chitin synthase function in a plant parasitic nematode, Meloidogyne artiellia, using RNAi. Gene 349: 87–95.
Fire, A., Xu, S., Montgomery, M.K., Kostas, S.A., Driver, S.E. and Mello, C.C. (1998). Potent and specific interference by double-stranded RNA in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nature 391: 806–811.
Goldstein, B. and Hird, S.N. (1996). Specification of the anteroposterior axis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Development 122: 1467–1474.
Gönczy, P. and Rose, L.S. (2005). Asymmetric cell division and axis formation in the embryo. In WormBook (ed. The C. elegans Research Community), doi/10.1895/wormbook.1.30.1, http://www.wormbook.org (October 15, 2005).
Grishok, A. (2005). RNAi mechanisms in Caenorhabditis elegans. FEBS Letters 579: 5932–5939.
Hammond, S.M. (2005). Dicing and silencing. The core machinery of the RNA interference pathway. FEBS Letters 579: 5822–5829.
Hasegawa, K., Miwa, S., Futai, K. and Miwa, J. (2004). Early embryogenesis of the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. Dev. Growth Differ. 46: 153–161.
Hasegawa, K., Mota, M., Futai, K. and Miwa, J. (2006). Chromosome structure and behavior in Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Nematoda: Parasitaphelenchidae) germ cells and early embryo. Nematology 8: 425–434.
Issa, Z., Grant, W.N., Stasiuk, S. and Shoemaker, C.B. (2005). Development of methods for RNA interference in the sheep gastrointestinal parasite, Trichostrongylus colubriformis. International Journal of Parasitology 35: 935–940.
Kikuchi, T., Jones, J.T., Aikawa, T., Kosaka, H. and Ogura, N. (2004). A family of glycosyl hydrolase family 45 cellulases from the pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchusxylophilus. FEBS Letters 572: 201–205.
Kikuchi, T., Shibuya, H. and Jones, J.T. (2005). Molecular and biochemical characterization of an endo-beta-1,3-glucanase from the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus acquired by horizontal gene transfer from bacteria. Biochemical Journal 389: 117–125.
Maeda, I., Kohara, Y., Yamamoto, Y. and Sugimoto, A. (2001). Large scale analysis of gene function in Caenorhabditis elegans by high-throughput RNAi. Current Biology 11: 171–176.
Mamiya, Y. (1983). Pathology of the pine with disease caused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. Annual Reviews of Phutopathology 21: 201–220.
Miwa, J., Schierenberg, E., Miwa, S., von Ehrenstein, G. (1980). Genetics and mode of expression of temperature-sensitive mutations arresting embryonic development in Caenorhabditis elegans. Developmental Biology 76: 160–174.
Miwa, J. (1986). Making of the roundworm II. Kagaku 56: 162–170 (in Japanese)
Mota, M., Braasch, H., Bravo, M.A., Penas, A.C., Burgermeister, W., Metge, K. and Sousa, E. (1999). First report of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus in Portugal and in Europe. Nematology 1: 727–734.
Munro, E., Nance, J. and Priess, J. R. (2004). Cortical flow powered by asymmetrical contraction tansport PAR protein to establish and maintain anterior-posterior polarity in the early C. elegans embryo. Development Cell 7: 413–424.
Singson, A. (2001). Every sperm is sacred: Fertilization in Caenorhabditis elegans. Development Biology 230: 101–109.
Sulston, J.E., Schierenberg, E., White, J.G. and Thomson, J.N. (1983). The embryonic cell lineage of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Development Biology 100: 64–119.
Tabara, H., Grishok, A. and Mello, C.C. (1998). RNAi in C. elegans: soaking in the genome sequence. Science 282: 430–431.
Timmons, L. and Fire, A. (1998). Specific interference by ingested dsRNA. Nature 395: 854.
Urwin, P.E., Lilley, C.J. and Atkinson, H.J. (2002). Ingestion of double-stranded RNA by preparasitic juvenile cyst nematodes leads to RNA interference. MPMI 15: 747–752.
Ward, S. and Carrel, J.S. (1979). Fertilization and sperm competition in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Development Biology 73: 304–321.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hasegawa, K., Mota, M., Futai, K., Miwa, J. (2008). Developmental Biology and Cytogenetics of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. In: Mota, M.M., Vieira, P. (eds) Pine Wilt Disease: A Worldwide Threat to Forest Ecosystems. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8455-3_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8455-3_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-8454-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-8455-3
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)