Progress 01/01/24 to 12/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:We have targeted other nematologists and other members of the scientific resaearch community. Changes/Problems:Imaging has been slightly slower than normal due to occasional issues with the electron microscope housed at the University of Illinois Beckman Institute. As this is a common piece of equipment used by researchers across campus, we sometimes find the equipment needs additional calibration and cleaning before we can proceed. Overall, I have been satisfied with our data collection progress. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A postdoctoral associate has received training in nematode biology, cutting edge imaging techniques and data science. An undergraduate has recieved training in cutting edge imaging techniques. A post-baccalaureate has recieved training in nematode biology and cutting edge imaging techniques. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The data have been presented to agricultural researchers at scientific conferences. The results have been dissmeinated to high school and community college students through outreach events on the University of Illinois campus. The results have been disseminated to farmers and members of the general public through extension events and University of Illinois press releases. Newly digitized archive EM data has been made public through the open access Illinois Data Bank. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to finish imaging the final transverse data series. This will be followed by intensive segmentation of the data sets and analysis of the connectome in conjunction with Dr. Lav Varshney and publication of our major findings.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The soybean cyst nematode is the most damaging pathogen of soybeans in the U.S. Current control strategies are losing their efficacy due to adaptation by the nematode. We are using electron microscopy (EM) to reconstruct the feeding apparatus of this pest. We have completed the collection of data on twotransverse data sets from the nose to the base of the esophagus comprising approximately 1,500 70 nm sections for each data set collected in series on silicon wafers and imaged at ~3 nm x-y resolution. We are currently completing a third transverse series. These transverse data sets arein addition to a previously collected longitudinal data set.Using cutting-edge software, we have aligned each of these images into a 3-D volume and have annotated synapses in one of the data sets. Working with our collaborator Dr. Lav Varshney, we are using network theory to compare the wiring network of H. glycines esophageal connectome to non-parasitic nematode species.This data set will allow us to understand how feeding occurs in the important soybean cyst nematode, which directly results in millions of dollars in economic loss every year. By understanding how feeding occurs, we will be able to design new environmentally sustainable means of controlling this important pest. Furthermore, we had digitized and annotated additional EM data originally collected by deceased USDA-ARS employee Dr. Burt Endo. These data were collected using film from 1970s to 1990s. Much of the data was unavailable to the general public. With our data, we will provide an important resource for future scientists to understand the biology of this pest.
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Han J, Ficca A, Kleczewski NM, and N Schroeder. 2024. Effects of fluopyram on Pratylenchus penetrans on corn in the field and in vitro. Plant Disease. 108:342-347
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Reed HM, Han Z, and NE Schroeder. 2023. GABA immunoreactivity and pharmacological effects varies among three stylet-bearing nematodes. Journal of Nematology. 55:e2023-1
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Progress 01/01/23 to 12/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Researchers in the fields of nematology, plant pathology, neurobiology, and parasitology. Members of the agricultural economy including farmers and agribusiness representatives. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A postdoctoral associate has received training in nematode biology, cutting edge imaging techniques and data science. An undergraduate has recieved training in cutting edge imaging techniques. A post-baccalaureate has recieved training in nematode biology and cutting edge imaging techniques. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The data have been presented to agricultural researchers at scientific conferences. The results have been dissmeinated to high school and community college students through outreach events on the University of Illinois campus. The results have been disseminated to farmers and members of the general public through extension events and University of Illinois press releases. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will analyze our first transverse data set for neuronal connectivity and begin imaging a second transverse data set.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The soybean cyst nematode is the most damaging pathogen of soybeans in the U.S. Current control strategies are losing their efficacy due to adaptation by the nematode. We are using electron microscopy (EM) to reconstruct the feeding apparatus of this pest. We have completed the collection of data on one transverse data set from the nose to the base of the esophagus comprising approximately 1,500 70 nm sections collected in series on silicon wafers and imaged at ~3 nm x-y resolution. Using cutting-edge software, we have aligned each of these images into a 3-D volume.This transverse data set is in addition to a previously collected longitudinal data set.This data set will allow us to understand how feeding occurs in the important soybean cyst nematode, which directly results in millions of dollars in economic loss every year. By understanding how feeding occurs, we will be able to design new environmentally sustainable means of controlling this important pest. Furthermore, we had digitized and annotated additional EM data collected prior to the invention of digital photography. With our data, we will provide an important resource for future scientists to understand the biology of this pest.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Schroeder NE, Imker H, Kenfield A, Luke S, and DH Hall. Strategies for a digital nematode anatomy database. Society of Nematologists Annual Meeting. Columbus, OH
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Han J, Thompson A, Boudreaux J, and NE Schroeder. Reconstruction of the esophageal connectome of Heterodera glycines. Society of Nematologists Annual Meeting. Columbus, OH
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Han J, Thompson A, Boudreaux J, and NE Schroeder. Reconstruction of the esophageal connectome of the parasitic nematode, Heterodera glycines. Chicago Area Worm Meeting. Chicago, IL
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Burton Endo Electron Micrograph Library. https://doi.org/10.13012/B2IDB-2692533_V4
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Progress 01/01/22 to 12/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Researchers in the fields of nematology, plant pathology, neurobiology, and parasitology. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A new postdoctoral associate was hired to continue the imaging efforts. Dr. Jaeyeong Han conducted his PhD in nematology and is now profecient in the collection of serial sections on an ultramicrotome. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Several talks have been given during the past reporting period. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Our primary focus is the segmentation of our existing longitudinal data set and new collection of a transverse data set.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A. We continue to collect serial section data from Heterodera glycines second-stage juveniles. We have collected over 200 longitudinal serial sections from the esophagus ofH. glycines.Each section is imaged with approximately 50 tiles captured at a 3K x 2K 4 nm/pixel resolution. Images were subsequently stitched and aligned using the freely available software TrakEM2.We have recently begun using an alternative method of collecting sections onto silicon wafers. This will help reduce the charging effects we occasionally see when imaging from carbon-coated cover slips. C. We have digitzed approximately 25,000 electron micrographs from the collection of Dr. Burt Endo. Of these, approximately 2,000 have been annotated and uploaded into the open access IL Data Bank.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
NE Schroeder. 2021. Development of an anatomical database for nematodes. Society of Nematologists Annual Meeting Gulf Shores, AL.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Schroeder NE. and DH Hall. 2021. Developing WormAtlas beyond C. elegans. International C. elegans Meeting. Online.
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Progress 01/01/21 to 12/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience includes researchers in the fields of nematology, parasitology, and neurobiology. Changes/Problems:We have been delayed due to difficulties in finding a suitable graduate student to perform parts of the work. To date we have relied on hourly technical assistance, but plan to hire a postdoc in the next month to move the project ahead. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two undergraduates have participated in the collection of image data and the rearing of nematodes in the greenhouse. I anticipate hiring a postdoctoral associate to assist with this project going forward. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Progress on this project was presented at the Society of Nematologists annual meeting in Gulf Shores, Alabamathrough a presentation. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are preparing new samples for the collection of transverse (crosswise) electron microscopy images to support the data collected of longitudinal samples. We have used high-pressure freezing combined with freeze substitution to fix and embed multiple samples for this next step.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The overarching goal of this project is to understand how the soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, feeds on its soybean host. SCN is considered the most damaging pathogen of soybean in the U.S. Similar to other plant-parasitic nematodes, SCN feeding behavior requires a coordination of several different tissues (e.g. nervous, muscle, glandular) in order to succesfully parasitze its host. The mechanisms controlling this coordination are unknown for all plant-parasitic nematodes. Understanding these mechanisms will allow for the development of novel control strategies for SCN and other economically-damaging plant-parasitic nematodes, which will improve profitability for the U.S. agricultural sector. We are using advances in electron microscopy to map the neuromuscular system of the SCN esophagus. These data will be combined with mathematical techniques to predict which cell(s) control the various aspects of feeding behavior based on how they form connections. We will follow up with functional tests to confirm our predictions. This project will lead to the first connectome (complete map of neuron wiring) for any parasite. To assist in the creation of a map, we are also collecting archived image data of SCN that was originally collected on photographic prints. We are digitizing these data and making it publically available through an online data repository. During the first year of this project, we collected serial section data from one longitudinal oriented J2 Heterodera glycines. This data set comprises approximately 7,000 3Kx2K images using electron microscopy at approximately threenm/pixel resolution. These images were stitched together and aligned to create a 3-D montage. We are currently tracing cells through this data set to reconstruct this dataset. We are also currently preparing for the collection of data from transverse oriented J2s. Several of these have been fixed and are being prepared for sectioning. Associated with this aim, we have digitized about 20,000 archived EM images from the files of the late Dr. Burt Endo. Approximately 1,500 of these have been annotated and uploaded to the Illinois Data Bank and are accessible and searchable by the public.
Publications
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