The Physiology and Biochemistry of Free-living and Plant-parasitic Nematodes, edited by R.N. Perry and D.J. Wright

Abstract

CAB International, 1998. £65.00 / $120.00 (xvii + 438 pages)ISBN 0 85199 231 5Those who work on nematodes fall into several discrete camps, with surprisingly little overlap or communication between the participants. This situation has arisen despite the broad conservation of the body plan and essential biochemical pathways in free-living and parasitic nematodes, which, for example, make Caenorhabditis elegans a tractable system in which to screen and elucidate the mechanism of action of nematocidal drugs.Although control has been the underlying objective in the study of parasitic species, relatively little has been explored in terms of unifying concepts between plant-parasitic and animal-parasitic forms. Historically, ecological considerations provided a focus for work on free-living nematodes, until Sydney Brenner made the decision to use C. elegans as a model for metazoan development. Brenner's goal, in short, was ‘to find out how organisms are encoded by their genes'1xBrenner, S. : xvSee all References and now, some 35 years later, C. elegans is arguably the most completely understood animal. The remarkable success of this venture has been marked by several milestones. A detailed description of the anatomy, together with a complete wiring diagram of cell contacts and determination of the cell lineage, was completed over ten years ago. Recently, it was announced that the sequence of the genome was essentially complete2xThe C. elegans Sequencing Consortium. Science. 1998; 282: 2012–2018Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (2768)See all References. In parallel with these achievements, the C. elegans scientific community has produced two excellent monographs on their chosen organism. The latest of these, C. elegans II, provides up-to-date detail1xBrenner, S. : xvSee all References on virtually everything one would want to know about ‘the worm'. This raises the question of whether additional texts on nematodes are desirable, in addition to establishing a formidable benchmark against which any such effort will inevitably be measured.My bias is that integration of information on free-living and parasitic nematodes is needed now more than ever. The surfeit of information on C. elegans makes this a difficult task, and the options for producing a textbook with this objective would appear to be either to consider each topic on a comparative basis, or to assemble a collection of articles that highlight specific adaptations in nematodes with diverse lifestyles. The editors and contributors to The Physiology and Biochemistry of Free-living and Plant-parasitic Nematodes have taken the former approach, and successfully provide a comprehensive coverage of these most ubiquitous of animals. Three chapters deal with functional anatomy and two with small molecule biosynthesis and intermediate metabolism, but the majority of the book is focused squarely on physiological processes and interactions with the environment.A broad-scale comparative account of this nature means that certain topics cannot be covered in much detail. Developmental biology and neurobiology, cornerstones of research efforts in C. elegans, are each dealt with in single chapters. Two contributions deal with plant parasitism per se, providing a very readable overview of the general characteristics of infection, the host response, and progress in engineering host resistance. Although not a clear undergraduate text, the book could be used for advanced courses, and will be a valuable source of reference for researchers working on diverse aspects of nematode biology.At some point in the future, a text of this nature might be extended to include animal-parasitic nematodes. Several parallels exist with plant parasites which could be usefully explored, such as developmental arrest (a common feature also of free-living forms), secretion of an elaborate array of products that facilitate invasion, migration and survival in the host, and as exemplified by Trichinella spiralis, alterations in host gene expression and cellular function3xJasmer, D.P. Parasitol. Today. 1995; 11: 185–188Abstract | Full Text PDF | Scopus (35)See all References, 4xDespommier, D.D. Parasitol. Today. 1998; 14: 318–323Abstract | Full Text | Full Text PDF | PubMed | Scopus (120)See all References. Completion of the genome sequence marks the beginning of a new era in C. elegans research, and this project also has much to offer for those who work on parasitic nematodes. Comparative analysis will ultimately define genes that presently appear to be nematode-specific as well as those which by virtue of unique or ectopic expression are characteristic of parasites5xBlaxter, M.L. Science. 1998; 282: 2041–2046Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (227)See all References. For C. elegans biologists, the task ahead is to assign biological functions to the 19 000 or so predicted gene products and analyse how they interact2xThe C. elegans Sequencing Consortium. Science. 1998; 282: 2012–2018Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (2768)See all References. The next decade should also yield important advances in our understanding of specific adaptations to parasitism, which will be facilitated by the adoption of an integrated approach as outlined in this book.