Gastropod parasitic nematodes (Phasmarhabditis sp.) are attracted to hyaluronic acid in snail mucus by cGMP signalling

Andrus, P; Ingle, O; Coleman, T; Rae, Robbie

doi:10.1017/s0022149x18000986

Cited by 9 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Alternatively, C. briggsae could be attracted to hosts and C. elegans just follows that species. P. hermaphrodita shares habitats and mollusk hosts with C. elegans and C. briggsae [11,6,3] and has been shown to chemotax toward the mucus, faeces, and volatile odorants of slugs and, in the case of snails, hyaluronic acid [34,35,36,37,38]. This observation suggests that C. elegans might prefer mollusks to isopods such as P. scaber and testing attraction to these species is a good future step.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber likely interact opportunistically

2020

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Phoresy is a behavior in which an organism, the phoront, travels from one location to another by 'hitching a ride' on the body of a host as it disperses. Some phoronts are generalists, taking advantage of any available host. Others are specialists and travel only when specific hosts are located using chemical cues to identify and move (chemotax) toward the preferred host. Free-living nematodes, like Caenorhabditis elegans, are often found in natural environments that contain terrestrial isopods and other invertebrates. Additionally, the C. elegans wild strain PB306 was isolated associated with the isopod Porcellio scaber. However, it is currently unclear if C. elegans is a phoront of terrestrial isopods, and if so, whether it is a specialist, generalist, or developmental stage-specific combination of both strategies. Because the relevant chemical stimuli might be secreted compounds or volatile odorants, we used different types of chemotaxis assays across diverse extractions of compounds or odorants to test whether C. elegans is attracted to P. scaber. We show that two different strains-the wild isolate PB306 and the laboratory-adapted strain N2-are not attracted to P. scaber during either the dauer or adult life stages. Our results indicate that C. elegans was not attracted to chemical compounds or volatile odorants from P. scaber, providing valuable empirical evidence to suggest that any associations between these two species are likely opportunistic rather than specific phoresy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber likely interact opportunistically

2020

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“…Interestingly, there are similarities in the genetic mechanisms C. elegans and P. pacificus use to find food and hosts, respectively, as they both rely on the protein kinase EGL-4 (Hong et al ., 2008; Kroetz et al ., 2012). Chemoattraction in P. hermaphrodita towards snail mucus was enhanced by exogenous exposure to cyclic guanosine monophosphate, which activates EGL-4 (Andrus et al ., 2018). Therefore, we believe P. hermaphrodita (and other Phasmarhabditis nematodes) could be used as a parasitic comparison to closely related non-parasitic species such as C. elegans and P. pacificus to examine the evolution of parasitic behaviours at the molecular and neurobiological level.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A chemotaxis assay was used to assess the ability of Phasmarhabditis nematodes to locate slug mucus and hyaluronic acid (Rae et al ., 2006, 2009; Andrus et al ., 2018). Briefly, 10 cm Petri dishes were half filled with 1.2% technical agar and left to solidify.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The host cues P. hermaphrodita uses to find gastropods have been studied in detail. In agar-based chemotaxis assays, the nematodes positively chemotax towards slug and snail mucus and faeces (Rae et al ., 2006, 2009; Hapca et al ., 2007a, b; Andrus et al ., 2018; Andrus & Rae, 2019a). They have also been shown to be attracted to alive and dead slugs in soil-based experiments (MacMillan et al ., 2009; Nermut’ et al ., 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to investigate the specific components of slug mucus that the nematodes are attracted to, Andrus et al . (2018) showed that Phasmarhabditis nematodes were strongly attracted to hyaluronic acid – a common component of slug mucus, in a dose-dependent manner.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Natural variation in host-finding behaviour of gastropod parasitic nematodes (Phasmarhabditisspp.) exposed to host-associated cues

Cutler

Rae

2021

J. Helminthol.

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The gastropod parasitic nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita has been formulated into a successful biological control agent (Nemaslug®, strain DMG0001) used to kill slugs on farms and gardens. When applied to soil, P. hermaphrodita uses slug mucus and faeces to find potential hosts. However, there is little information on what cues other species of Phasmarhabditis (P. neopapillosa and P. californica) use to find hosts and whether there is natural variation in their ability to chemotax to host cues. Therefore, using chemotaxis assays, we exposed nine wild isolates of P. hermaphrodita, five isolates of P. neopapillosa and three isolates of P. californica to mucus from the pestiferous slug host Deroceras invadens, as well as 1% and 5% hyaluronic acid – a component of slug mucus that is highly attractive to these nematodes. We found P. hermaphrodita (DMG0010) and P. californica (DMG0018) responded significantly more to D. invadens mucus and 1% hyaluronic acid than other strains. Also, P. hermaphrodita (DMG0007), P. neopapillosa (DMG0015) and P. californica (DMG0017) were superior at locating 5% hyaluronic acid compared to other isolates of the same genera. Ultimately, there is natural variation in chemoattraction in Phasmarhabditis nematodes, with some strains responding significantly better to host cues than others.

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Thirty years of slug control using the parasitic nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita and beyond

Rae

Sheehy

McDonald-Howard

2023

Pest Management Science

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Several slug species are highly pestiferous and threaten global sustainable agriculture. Current control methods rely heavily on metaldehyde pellets, which are often ineffective, harm nontarget organisms and have been banned in some countries. A viable alternative is the parasitic nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (and recently P. californica), which has been formulated into a biological control agent (Nemaslug®) to control slugs across northern Europe. Nematodes are mixed with water and applied to soil where they seek out slugs, penetrate behind the mantle and kill them in 4–21 days. Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita has been on the market since 1994 and since then there has been ample research on its use. Here we review the research carried out on P. hermaphrodita over the last 30 years since its development and release as a commercial product. We provide information on life cycle, worldwide distribution, history of commercialisation, gastropod immunity, host range, ecological and environmental factors that affect its success in the field, bacterial relationships, and summarise results of field trials. Finally, we suggest future directions for P. hermaphrodita research (and other Phasmarhabditis species) to enhance its use as a biological control agent to control slugs for the next 30 years. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

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Gastropod parasitic nematodes (Phasmarhabditis sp.) are attracted to hyaluronic acid in snail mucus by cGMP signalling

Cited by 9 publications

References 55 publications

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber likely interact opportunistically

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber likely interact opportunistically

Natural variation in host-finding behaviour of gastropod parasitic nematodes (Phasmarhabditisspp.) exposed to host-associated cues

Thirty years of slug control using the parasitic nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita and beyond

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