Research articleProtease activity and phytocystatin expression in Arabidopsis thaliana upon Heterodera schachtii infection

- Nematode infection affects the protein content in infected shoots.
- Nematode infection diminishes the protease activity in infected Arabidopsis.
- Nematode infection causes the induction of Ca2+-dependent proteases in infected roots.
- Nematode infection induces the expression of phytocystatins in infected plants.
- Nematode infection increases the polyphenol content in infected shoots.

The activity of plant proteases is important for amino acids recycling, removal of damaged proteins as well as defence responses. The second-stage juvenile of the beet cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii penetrates host roots and induces the feeding site called a syncytium. To determine whether infection by H. schachtii affects proteolysis, the protease activity was studied in Arabidopsis roots and shoots at the day of inoculation and 3, 7 and 15 days post inoculation (dpi). Nematode infection caused a decrease of protease activities in infected roots over the entire examination period at all studied pH values. In contrast, the activities of the low molecular mass as well as Ca2+-dependent cysteine proteases were found to be stimulated. In shoots of infected plants, the protease activity was diminished only at 15 dpi at all tested pH values. It was accompanied by changes in total soluble protein content, a higher protein carbonylation and a total polyphenol content. To go deeper into proteolysis regulation, the expression of phytocystatin genes, endogenous inhibitors of cysteine proteases, was examined in syncytia, roots and shoots. Expression of AtCYS1, AtCYS5 and AtCYS6 genes was enhanced upon cyst nematode infection. Our results suggest that changes in protease activities in roots and shoots and altered cystatin expression patterns in syncytia, roots and shoots are important for protein metabolism during cyst nematode infection.