Unraveling the plant cell wall integrity mechanisms in nematode feeding structures (using spatial transcriptomics)

Tiny parasitic worms, known as nematodes, invade plant roots and cause significant damage to global agriculture. This thesis explores a new strategy to stop them by boosting the plant’s own "surveillance system". We investigated how plants use specific sensors (receptors) in their cell walls to detect structural damage to plant cell walls caused by nematodes. We show that reinforcing these sensors makes plants nearly immune to cyst nematodes, though, interestingly, it may leave them open to other parasitic nematodes. Additionally, we introduce a cutting-edge technology —RNA tomography— to plants, allowing us to generate high-resolution spatial maps of how both plant and nematode genes behave during infection. These findings provide crucial insights into plant immunity, paving the way for the development of stronger, nematode-resistant crops for securing future food production.