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Discovery of a key molecule that converted by rhizosphere microbes to hatching for potato cyst nematodes

June 9, 2025

The interactions among plants, microbes, and parasites have been revealed

A collaborative research group from Kobe University, the RIKEN CSRS, the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, and Hokkaido University has discovered a compound called "Solanoeclepine C (SEC)" secreted from the roots of Solanaceae plants. Furthermore, they found that SEC is converted into a hatching-promoting substance for potato cyst nematodes by soil microbes. This discovery is important for understanding the interactions among plants, microbes, and cyst nematodes, and is expected to contribute to new strategies for controlling nematode damage.

Potato cyst nematodes are major pests that cause significant agricultural damage worldwide and are extremely difficult to eradicate, with eggs surviving in the soil for up to 20 years. The research group revealed that tomatoes and potatoes actively produce SEC, which has low hatching-promoting activity for cyst nematodes, and that it is converted by soil microbes into SEB and SEA, which are used for the hatching of cyst nematodes. Additionally, the secretion of SEC significantly increased under nitrogen and phosphorus deficiency conditions, suggesting that plants may strategically secrete SEC under nutrient-deficient conditions to interact with soil microbes. The discovery of SEC and the elucidation of its activation mechanism by microbes are expected to lead to the development of agricultural materials targeting SEC and new techniques for controlling cyst nematodes by regulating microbial conversion.

 

Original article
New phytologist　DOI: 10.1111/nph.70252
R. Akiyama, Y. Kawano, K. Shimizu, S. Makino, K. Akanuma, H. Nagatomo, M. Yokota Hirai, Y. Sugimoto, A. Kushida, K. Tanino, M. Mizutani,
"Solanoeclepin C, a root-secreted molecule converted by rhizosphere microbes to hatching factors for potato cyst nematodes".
Contact
Ryota Akiyama; Special Postdoctoral Researcher
Masami Yokota Hirai; Team Director
Metabolic Systems Research Team