Abstract：Secretory proteins in the oesophageal gland cells of plant-parasitic nematodes have key roles in nematodes parasitism of plant. A new venom allergen-like protein gene (Dd-vap-1) was cloned from Ditylenchus destructor by RT-PCR and RACE. The full length cDNA of Dd-vap-1 was 1 346 bp. The cDNA sequence consisted of a 1 209 bp open reading frame encoding 402 amino acid residues that were franked by a 69 bp 5'-untranslated region and a 68 bp 3'-untranslated region(GenBank accession No. JQ341057). The theoretical molecular weight and isoelectric point of the putative protein were 45.3 kD and 6.68, respectively. The sequencing analysis showed that this gene was classified as a member of venom allergen-like protein. In situ hybridization analysis showed that the transcript of Dd-vap-1 accumulated exclusively within the subventral oesophageal cell of D. destructor. The result suggested that Dd-vap-1 may play an important role in the early stage when infecting host plants.
