Genetic transformation of an entomopathogenic nematode by microinjection.

We report the first successful transformation of an entomopathogenic nematode. Foreign genes were introduced in Heterorhabditis bacteriophora HP88 by microinjection using vectors carrying the Caenorhabditis elegans genes coding for the roller phenotype and 16-kDa heat shock protein (hsp16) gene. A translational fusion made by inserting lacZ in frame into hsp16 was expressed in the body musculature, hypodermis, and pharyngeal muscles. The transcription of the hsp16/lacZ transgenes resulted in the rapid synthesis of detectable levels of beta-galactosidase. This research opens new avenues for genetic modification of entomopathogenic nematodes.