Detoxification-related gene expression accompanies anhydrobiosis in the foliar nematode (Aphelenchoides fragariae)

The foliar nematode (Aphelenchoides fragariae) is a quarantined pest that infects a broad range of herbaceous and woody plants. Previous work has demonstrated its remarkable ability to survive rapid and extreme desiccation, although the specific mechanisms underlying its anhydrobiotic response have not been characterized. We used RNA sequencing and de novo transcriptome assembly to compare patterns of gene expression between hydrated and 24-hr desiccated nematodes. Two thousand eighty-three and 953 genes were significantly up- and downregulated, respectively, in desiccated nematodes. Of the one hundred annotated genes with the largest positive fold-changes, more than one third encoded putative detoxification-related proteins. Genes encoding enzymes of Phase I and Phase II detoxification systems were among the most strongly upregulated in the transcriptome, including 35 cytochrome p450s, 23 short chain dehydrogenase/reductases, five glutathione-S-transferases, and 22 UDP-glucuronosyltran...