Transcriptomic insights into the multi-target nematicidal action of Streptomyces sp. TR27 against Meloidogyne incognita

Abstract

Root-knot nematodes ( Meloidogyne spp.) are devastating plant pathogens that cause substantial economic losses worldwide. This study uses RNA-seq to profile the transcriptomic responses of M. incognita to the culture supernatant of Streptomyces sp. TR27, a strain previously shown to induce 67.6% calibrated mortality against M. incognita second-stage juveniles at 48 h. At 12 h post treatment, 231 differentially expressed genes (DEG) were identified, including 114 up-regulated and 117 down-regulated genes. Down-regulated genes were enriched in the pathways related to lysosome (lysosomal ATPase, acid hydrolase, and membrane protein) and steroid hormone metabolism. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) further revealed the transcriptional suppression of oxidative phosphorylation (Complexes I-V) and ribosomal protein coding genes at 12 h post treatment. These findings suggest that the Streptomyces sp. TR27 supernatant is associated with multi-pathway transcriptional perturbations, including lysosomal homeostasis dysregulation, steroid hormone metabolism impairment, and potential inhibition of mitochondrial energy production and protein translation. This transcriptional signature provides candidate cellular targets and a hypothetical framework for developing actinobacteria-derived biocontrol agents, pending functional validation of direct compound-target interactions.