Plant defense responses in monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous host plants during root-knot nematode infection

Abstract

Abstract Background Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) – Meloidogyne spp. – are a group of nematodes distributed worldwide that infect monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous crop species. Plant responses to RKNs have been described in many studies of various host plants. In the course of parasitism, RKNs induce the transcriptional reprogramming of host cells to establish giant cells. Nematode attack induces many mechanisms in host plants, including pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). Research on plant-RKN interactions has shown the activation and suppression of the expression of genes encoding various defense-related proteins. Scope and conclusions In this review, our goal is to critically summarize current knowledge on monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plant-Meloidogyne interactions, including data on the role of RKN effectors and nematode PAMPs in host plant defense responses.