Contrasting Rates of Protein and Morphological Evolution in Cyst Nematode Species

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Abstract
The genetic differentiation of cyst nematode species that are morphologically nearly indistinguishable was investigated by means of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DGE) followed by a sensitive silver strain. 2-DGE of total protein extracts from young females revealed an average of 245 polypeptides. The sibling species Globodera rostochiensis and G. pallida were differentiated by 70% of their polypeptides. The closely related species Heterodera glycine sand H. schachtii were discriminated by 59% of their polypeptides. These large differences suggest that these nematode species have accumulated protein differences during a period of millions of years without distinct changes in morphology. These observations emphasize the importance of biochemical techniques in plant nematology for species identification and nematode systematics.