Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology for Postgraduate Studies at the University of Baghdad discussed the doctoral dissertation of student Mohammed Riyadh Abbas, titled:
“Cloning and Gene Expression of nAChRbp and 1-Hslpro Genes in Bacillus sp. and Testing Their Ability to Inhibit Nematode Infection in Cucurbitaceae Plants”, supervised by Professor Dr. Shurooq Mohammed Kazem.
The study aimed to perform molecular characterization of nematodes isolated from the roots of infected cucumber plants in various regions of Iraq using specialized molecular markers.
During the study, genetic characterization was conducted on 61 samples obtained from nine different areas in Iraq between October 2022 and January 2023.
The main experiment in the study involved genetic modification of Bacillus subtilis by transferring the Ver112 gene, which encodes for an alkaline serine protease, and the CCII gene, which encodes for a cystatin protease inhibitor. This was achieved using the plasmid pHT1469 to evaluate the cloned genes’ ability to reduce and inhibit nematode growth both in the laboratory and in field environments.
The study recommended using the fungal Ver112 gene and the maize CCII gene engineered separately with the plasmid pHT1469, and transferring them into Bacillus subtilis. These genes enable the production of alkaline serine protease, which degrades nematode cuticles, and cystatin, which interferes with and inhibits nematode digestive system proteins.
