Cell Wall Modifications in Giant Cells Induced by the Plant Parasitic Nematode in Wild-Type (Col-0) and the Katanin Mutant.

is a root knot nematode (RKN) species which is among the most notoriously unmanageable crop pests with a wide host range. It inhabits plants and induces unique feeding site structures within host roots, known as giant cells (GCs). The cell walls of the GCs undergo the process of both thickening and loosening to allow expansion and finally support nutrient uptake by the nematode. In this study, a comparative in situ analysis of cell wall polysaccharides in the GCs of wild-type Col-0 and the microtubule-defective katanin mutant, both infected with has been carried out. The mutant had an increased infection rate. Moreover, roots exhibited a differential pectin and hemicellulose distribution when compared to Col-0 probably mirroring the root developmental defects. Features of GC walls include the presence of high-esterified pectic homogalacturonan and pectic arabinan, possibly to compensate for the reduced levels of callose, which was omnipresent in GCs of Col-0. Katanin severing of microtubules seems important in plant defense against , with the nematode, however, to be nonchalant about this "katanin deficiency" and eventually induce the necessary GC cell wall modifications to establish a feeding site.