NEUROPEPTIDES INVOLVING IN THE REGULATION OF LOCOMOTOR BEHAVIOR OF ROOT-KNOT PLANT-PARASITIC NEMATODES (REVIEW)

Abstract

In the last few decades, the attention of researchers has been attracted by endogenous FMRFamide-like neuropeptides found in a number of invertebrates, including species of the Nematoda phylum. A foreign literature review was presented for the functional significance of endogenous FMRFamide-like neuropeptides in locomotor behaviour of root-knot phytonematodes, representatives of the genus Meloidogyne Goldi, 1982, namely, Meloidogyne incognita, M. minor, M. hapla and M. graminicola. In Russia, such studies are not carried out. The main characteristics of phytoparasitic neuropeptides were obtained from the study of genes (flp-genes) that encode these neuropeptides. M. incognita was found to have FMRFamidelike positive immunoreactivity in the central nervous system and 19 flp genes. The Mi-flp-12 and Mi-flp-14 genes encode neuropeptides that stimulate locomotor behaviour, while Mi-flp-32 encodes a neuropeptide that inhibits parasite locomotor behaviour. Nematodes M. incognita and M. hapla were found to have G-proteincoupled receptors (GPCRs) encoded by the flp-32 gene, and their similarity to receptor 1 (C26F1) of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was detected. Similar data were presented in the literature for M. graminicola. The peptidergic signaling nervous system of root-knot phytonematodes is similar to the system of nematodes in vertebrates and free-living nematodes, which indicates the conservatism of the system in species of the entire Nematoda phylum.