{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]],"date-time":"2026-06-04T11:29:21Z","timestamp":1780572561917,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]],"date-time":"2025-12-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765843200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation Program of China","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["32160024"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32160024"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Root-knot nematodes, known for their broad host range and the challenges associated with their control, cause significant losses in global agricultural productivity. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway amplifies signals through a phosphorylation cascade to regulate downstream transcription factors or effector proteins, which is essential for maintaining normal physiological functions in nematodes. This study presents a comprehensive characterization of the MAPK signaling cascade regulatory network in Meloidogyne incognita, elucidating the regulatory roles of Mi-let-60, Mi-lin-45, Mi-mek-2, and Mi-mpk-1 in host chemotaxis and egg hatching behavior. Importantly, RNAi-mediated silencing of Mi-mpk-1 resulted in a 17-fold increase in egg hatching rate and significantly impaired chemotactic responses while silencing of Mi-let-60 led to a marked reduction in root gall formation and egg mass production. These results not only confirmed the evolutionary conservation of this pathway but also identified a feedback regulation mechanism unique to parasitic nematodes. These findings provide valuable insights for future research on signal transduction pathways and the sustainable management of root-knot nematodes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens14121290","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]],"date-time":"2025-12-16T11:00:26Z","timestamp":1765882826000},"page":"1290","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Effects of MAPK Homologous Genes on Chemotaxis and Egg Hatching in Meloidogyne incognita"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Youjing","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources in Yunnan Province, Kunming 650032, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mingxin","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources in Yunnan Province, Kunming 650032, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiefang","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources in Yunnan Province, Kunming 650032, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Caiwei","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources in Yunnan Province, Kunming 650032, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0128-4629","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yajun","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources in Yunnan Province, Kunming 650032, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"381","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-phyto-080417-045833","article-title":"Plant-Parasitic Nematodes and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa","volume":"56","author":"Coyne","year":"2018","journal-title":"Annu. 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