Genes co-regulated with LBD16 in nematode feeding sites inferred from in silico analysis show similarities to regulatory circuits mediated by the auxin/cytokinin balance in Arabidopsis

Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind this process is essential to develop tools for nematode control. Based on the crucial role in gall development of LBD16 , also a key component of the auxin pathway leading to the divisions in the xylem pole pericycle during lateral root (LR) formation, we investigated genes co-regulated with LBD16 in different transcriptomes and analyzed their similarities and differences with those of RKNs and CNs feeding sites (FS).

This analysis confirmed LBD16 and its co-regulated genes, integrated in signaling cascades mediated by auxins during LR and callus formation, as a particular feature of RKN-FS distinct to CNs. However, LBD16 , and its positively co-regulated genes, were repressed in syncytia, suggesting a selective down- regulation of the LBD16 auxin mediated pathways in CNs-FS. Interestingly, cytokinin-induced genes are enriched in syncytia and we encountered similarities between the transcriptome of shoot regeneration from callus, modulated by cytokinins, and that of syncytia.