The effect of temperature conditioning (9°C and 20°C) on the proteome of entomopathogenic nematode infective juveniles

Effect of various physical and chemical stress conditions on the infectivity and survival of Heterorhabditis indica and Steinernema feltiae: Relationship with lipid oxidative stress

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) of the genera Heterorhabditis and Steinernema represent an alternative for the biological control of insects. The limited half-life of EPNs is still one of the most concerning issues in their commercialization. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) may be one of the most important causes of loss of infectivity and survival of EPNs when exposed to various physicochemical stress conditions (temperature, pH, hypoxia and osmotic pressure). Because LPO generates free radicals (FRs), it can trigger membrane peroxidation and lipid energy reserves of EPNs. However, in EPNs there is no data on the role of LPO on their physiology, making strategies for the conservation of derived biopreparations difficult. In this sense, the influence of LPO on the species of EPNs S. feltiae and H. indica under various conditions of physicochemical stress was studied. In both EPNs, the proposed stress conditions altered infectivity and survival over time, generating ROS associated with LPO with a variable tolerance depending on the species, type and time of exposure to stress. A relationship was observed between the LPO induced by stress conditions and infectivity-survival.

Stress tolerance in entomopathogenic nematodes: Engineering superior nematodes for precision agriculture

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are soil-dwelling parasitic roundworms commonly used as biocontrol agents of insect pests in agriculture. EPN dauer juveniles locate and infect a host in which they will grow and multiply until resource depletion. During their free-living stage, EPNs face a series of internal and environmental stresses. Their ability to overcome these challenges is crucial to determine their infection success and survival. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of EPN response to stresses associated with starvation, low/elevated temperatures, desiccation, osmotic stress, hypoxia, and ultra-violet light. We further report EPN defense strategies to cope with biotic stressors such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and predatory insects. By comparing the genetic and biochemical basis of these strategies to the nematode model Caenorhabditis elegans, we provide new avenues and targets to select and engineer precision nematodes adapted to specific field conditions.

Low-temperature exposure has immediate and lasting effects on the stress tolerance, chemotaxis and proteome of entomopathogenic nematodes

Temperature is one of the most important factors affecting soil organisms, including the infective stages of parasites and entomopathogenic nematodes, which are important biological control agents. We investigated the response of 2 species of entomopathogenic nematodes to different storage regimes: cold (9°C), culture temperature (20°C) and temperature swapped from 9 to 20°C. For Steinernema carpocapsae, cold storage had profound effects on chemotaxis, stress tolerance and protein expression that were retained in temperature-swapped individuals. These effects included reversal of chemotactic response for 3 (prenol, methyl salicylate and hexanol) of the 4 chemicals tested, and enhanced tolerance to freezing (−10°C) and desiccation (75% RH). Label-free quantitative proteomics showed that cold storage induced widespread changes in S. carpocapsae, including an increase in heat-shock proteins and late embryogenesis abundant proteins. For Heterorhabditis megidis, cold storage had a less dramatic effect on chemotaxis (as previously shown for proteomic expression) and changes were not maintained on return to 20°C. Thus, cold temperature exposure has significant effects on entomopathogenic nematodes, but the nature of the change depends on the species. Steinernema carpocapsae, in particular, displays significant plasticity, and its behaviour and stress tolerance may be manipulated by brief exposure to low temperatures, with implications for its use as a biological control agent.