Molecular cloning and characterization of cDNA encoding a Translocon-Associated Protein (TRAPδ) from the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus goodeyi

Abstract

The translocon-associated protein (TRAP) complex comprises four subunits (α, β, γ, δ) and is located in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane at translocation sites. The TRAP complex is required for the efficient translocation of substrates and to correct or eliminate misfolded proteins. In this study, we described the cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding a TRAP from the phytoparasitic nematode Pratylenchus goodeyi (Pg). The full-length cDNA had an estimated size of 690 bp and encodes a 177 amino acid peptide. The deduced protein after sequence analysis codes for TRAPδ subunit homologous to TRAPδ from other nematodes. The Pg-TRAPδ had a signal peptide indicating a possible involvement in the transport and binding of other proteins at the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. The increase in relative expression of Pg-trapδ, assessed by semi-quantitative PCR, was induced over time in nematodes exposed to a nematostatic/nematicide extract of Solanum nigrum, suggesting that this gene product might be influenced by response mechanisms to stress in P. goodeyi. This is the first report of the cloning and characterization of trap cDNA from plant endoparasitic nematodes.