Abstract:
The present invention provides recombinant DNA containing a plant expressible gene which comprises in sequence: a promoter that drives expression of a downstream gene specifically in an initital feeding cell and/or a nematode feeding structure, a gene encoding a product that is inhibitory to an endogenous gene encoding a protein or polypeptide selected from the group consisting of ATP synthase, adenine nucleotide translocator, tricarboxylate translocator, dicarboxylate translocator, 2-oxo-glutarate translocator, cytochrome C, pyruvate kinase, glyceraldehyde-3P-dehydrogenase, NADPH-cytochrome p450 reductase, fatty acid synthase complex, glycerol-3P-acyltransferase, hydroxymethyl-glutaryl CoA reductase, aminocyl transferase, a transcription initiation factor, and a transcription elongation factor, a transcription terminator and a polyadenylation signal sequence, and wherein the said gene is expressed in said initial feeding cell or nematode feeding structure upon infection by the said nematode. The invention further provides plasmids, bacterial cells, recombinant plant genomes, as well as plant cells, plants and parts thereof, still harbouring recombinant genomes. The invention further provides plants with reduced susceptibilitiy against plant parasitic nematodes, as well as methods for obtaining same. Growing plants according to the invention in the field reduces yield losses due to nematode attack and/or reduces nematode populations in the soil.