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Poster

Session: Session 2 Presenting Authors at Posters (Odds)

P-293 - Sneaky Invaders: How Parasitic Nematodes Manipulate Calcium-Dependent Plant Immunity

Wednesday, July 16, 2025
13:30 - 15:15  
Location: Confex Hall 3
Plant Interactions with nematodes & parasitic plants

    Presenting Author(s)

  • MH

    M. Shamim Hasan

    Molecular Phytomedicine, University of Bonn
    Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    • Author(s)

  • CU

    Chhana Ullah

    Postdoctoral researcher
    Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
    Jena, Thuringen, Germany

  • SM

    Sakil Mahmud

    Plant Cell Biology, University of Bonn
    Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

  • CP

    Clement Pellegrin

    University of Cambridge
    Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

  • SL

    Sharon Letia

    Molecular Phytomedicine, University of Bonn
    Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

  • MS

    Mirosław Sobczak

    5Department of Botany, Warsaw University of Life Sciences
    Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland

  • UV

    Ute Vothknecht

    Plant Cell Biology, University of Bonn
    Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

  • SE

    Sebastian Eves-Van Den Akker, PhD

    The Crop Science Centre, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge
    Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

  • FG

    Florian Grundler

    Professor
    Molecular Phytomedicine, University of Bonn
    Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

When plants detect pathogenic invaders, pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize molecular signatures and initiate defense responses. Calcium (Ca²⁺) functions as a versatile secondary messenger, translating PRR-generated signals into distinctive Ca²⁺ signatures that are interpreted by specialized binding proteins and converted into targeted transcriptional responses. Despite the crucial role of calcium in plant immunity, its signaling mechanisms during plant-nematode interactions have remained largely unexplored. Our previous work indicated that the expression of several genes responsive to Ca2+ signaling is significantly upregulated in Arabidopsis roots at the early stage of nematode infection. Using genetically encoded biosensors, here we show that a pronounced cytosolic Ca2+ burst occurs during the early nematode infection process. A comprehensive microscopic, transcriptomic, biochemical, and genetic analysis of the processes triggered by the nematode-induced Ca2+ signatures reveals a link between the Ca2+ signaling network and the modulation of plant defense hormones during the observation period. Our results provide new insights into the mechanisms of Ca2+ signaling-mediated molecular responses in orchestrating plant-nematode interactions.