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Summary: The pine nematode Bursaphelenchus mucronatus has been associated with pine wilt in China. This work was intended to investigate the role of the pathogenicity‐related β‐1,4‐endoglucanase gene of B. mucronatus in the infection of pines. In this study, the full‐length cDNA of the Bm‐eng‐1 gene was cloned and characterized from a B. mucronatus isolate. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the Bm‐eng‐1 gene of B. mucronatus may be acquired from fungi through horizontal gene transfer. The function of the gene was demonstrated using RNA interference. RNA interference indicated that Bm‐eng‐1 was involved in the dispersal, reproductive ability and pathogenicity of B. mucronatus. In situ hybridization showed that Bm‐eng‐1 was specifically expressed in the oesophageal gland of B. mucronatus. Furthermore, to investigate the relation between β‐1,4‐endoglucanase activities and virulence of different isolates, the β‐1,4‐endoglucanase activities and the expression levels of Bm‐eng‐1 were detected in six B. mucronatus isolates with different virulence. β‐1,4‐Endoglucanase activity was generally higher in pathogenic isolates than in non‐pathogenic isolates, and the Bm‐eng‐1 expression levels in different isolates were positively correlated with the β‐1,4‐endoglucanase activity. These findings suggested that β‐1,4‐endoglucanase plays important roles in the pathogenic process of B. mucronatus, and the differential expression of the gene may underlie the different activity levels of β‐1,4‐endoglucanase, subsequently influencing variations in virulence of B. mucronatus isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internal transcribed spacer ( ITS) regions of rDNA have been routinely employed for identification and phylogenetic analysis of many nematode species. In this study, the intra- and interspecies ITS genetic diversity of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and Bursaphelenchus mucronatus was evaluated. Ninety-one isolates of the two nematode species collected from 14 Chinese provinces, Japan and Korea were used for ITS- PCR and sequencing. An unweighted pair group cluster analysis dendrogram clustered them as two B. mucronatus and one B. xylophilus independent clades. Principal component analysis showed the phylogenetic relationship of the two nematode species more clearly; B. mucronatus isolates were separated into more than four groups, whereas B. xylophilus isolates still clustered into a group. The results of the Mantel test indicated the correlation of genetic distance matrices and geographic distance matrices was significant for both nematode species. The genetic differentiation coefficient ( Gst) and gene flow ( Nm) of B. mucronatus were 0.341 and 1.091, respectively, suggesting the importance of landscape heterogeneity and considerable obstacles for genetic exchange among B. mucronatus isolates in China. However, Gst and Nm of B. xylophilus were 0.188 and 2.151, respectively, very different compared to B. mucronatus. This could be owing to the short-term introduction of B. xylophilus into China and a rapid spread through anthropogenic pathways. Our work adds to the understanding of the genetic diversity and genetic relationship of the two pine-parasitic nematode species, and will aid in controlling them in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]