Molecular Insights into the Rotylenchulus reniformis Transcriptome

We present an analysis of the Rotylenchulus reniformis transcriptome generated from 5 distinct metagenomic pools of individuals at specific developmental stages. A total of 389,619 putative transcripts were generated from a metagenomic pool of Rotylenchulus reniformis RNA, with a total combined length of 2.14 x 10⁸ nt and an N50 of 626 bp. Functional annotation yielded 3,051 unique GO and 9,880 unique InterPro IDs for the transcripts to 11,075 and 17,057 R. reniformis transcripts, respectively. The molecular pathways of Caenorhabditis elegans reported in KEGG, reactome, and wikipathways databases were used in the identification of R. reniformis – C. elegans homologous proteins that potentially function in mating, development, metabolism, signaling, and response to stimuli in R. reniformis. Importantly, through blast analysis with Meloidogyne incognita and Heterodera glycines, we have identified R. reniformis transcripts that encode peptides that are homologous to known effector proteins such as annexin, β-1,4-endoglucanase, chitinase, chorismate mutase, pectate lyase, and ubiquitin extension protein.