Journal Article

Deciphering the mechanism of anhydrobiosis in the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis indica through comparative transcriptomics

Gaikwad, Kishore, Balakumaran, Manimaran, Rao, Atmakuri Ramakrishna, Dahuja, Anil, Iyyappan, Yuvaraj, Tej Kumar J. P., Jagannadham Prasanth, Mohan, Sharad, Kumar Jain, Pradeep, Sahu, Sarika, Chidambaranathan, Parameshwaran, Sirohi, Anil

2022

Overview

The entomopathogenic nematode, Heterorhabditis indica , is a popular biocontrol agent of high commercial significance. It possesses tremendous genetic architecture to survive desiccation stress by undergoing anhydrobiosis to increase its lifespan—an attribute exploited in the formulation technology. The comparative transcriptome of unstressed and anhydrobiotic H . indica revealed several previously concealed metabolic events crucial for adapting towards the moisture stress. During the induction of anhydrobiosis in the infective juveniles (IJ), 1584 transcripts were upregulated and 340 downregulated. As a strategy towards anhydrobiotic survival, the IJ showed activation of several genes critical to antioxidant defense, detoxification pathways, signal transduction, unfolded protein response and molecular chaperones and ubiquitin-proteasome system. Differential expression of several genes involved in gluconeogenesis - β -oxidation of fatty acids , glyoxylate pathway ; glyceroneogenesis; fatty acid biosynthesis; amino-acid metabolism - shikimate pathway , sachharopine pathway , kyneurine pathway , lysine biosynthesi s; one-carbon metabolism— polyamine pathway , transsulfuration pathway , folate cycle , methionine cycle , nucleotide biosynthesis ; mevalonate pathway; and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were also observed. We report the role of shikimate pathway, sachharopine pathway and glyceroneogenesis in anhydrobiotes, and seven classes of repeat proteins, specifically in H . indica for the first time. These results provide insights into anhydrobiotic survival strategies which can be utilized to strengthen the development of novel formulations with enhanced and sustained shelf-life.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Amino acids / Biological control / Biology and Life Sciences / Biopesticides / Biosynthesis / Desiccation / Detoxification / Entomopathogenic nematodes / Environmental aspects / Fatty acids / Folic acid / Gene expression / Genes / Genetic aspects / Genomes / Gluconeogenesis / Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase / Heterorhabditis indica / Life span / Lysine / Metabolism / Methionine / Mevalonate pathway / Minors / Moisture effects / Moisture stress / Nematoda / Nematodes / Nucleotides / Oxidation / Pests / Physiology / Polyamines / Proteasomes / Protein folding / Proteins / Research and Analysis Methods / Shelf life / Signal transduction / Survival / Transcription activation / Transcriptomes / Transcriptomics / Ubiquitin