Cereal cyst nematode (Heterodera avenae, CCN) distributes worldwide and has caused severe damage to cereal crops, and a model host will greatly aid in the study of this nematode.  In this research, we assessed the sensitivity of 25 inbred lines of Brachypodium distachyon to H. avenae from Beijing, China.  All lines of B. distachyon were infested by second-stage juveniles (J2s) of H. avenae from Daxing District of Beijing population, but only 13 inbred lines reproduced 0.2–3 cysts/plant, showing resistance.  The entire root system of the infested B. distachyon appeared smaller and the fibrous roots were shorter and less numerous.  We found that a dose of 1 000 J2s of H. avenae was sufficient for nematode infestation.  We showed that Koz-1 of B. distachyon could reproduce more cysts than TR2A line.  Line Koz-1 also supported the complete life cycles of 5 CCN geographical populations belonging to the Ha1 or Ha3 pathotype group.  Our results suggest that B. distachyon is a host for CCN.

A calcineurin B-like protein-interacting protein kinases (CIPK) gene was cloned (EU 424058) from a thermo-sensitive genic self-incompatibility (TSGI) line, HE97, in maize, which was selected for suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) library of the self-incompatible and self-compatible silks of the TSGI line under different temperatures. The full-length cDNA of the candidate CIPK-like gene consisted of 1 918 nucleotides and contained a 1 332-bp open reading frame in maize. Real-time PCR indicated that the candidate CIPK-like gene was highly expressed in the self-incompatible pollen of the TGSI line, and promoted elevated levels of calcium (Ca²⁺). High Ca²⁺ concentrations in the pollen strongly inhibit pollen tube formation in silk of the same plant, thus inducing self-incompatibility (SI) under high temperature. These results implied that the CIPKs-like gene would play an important role in the regulation of HE97 characteristics under different temperatures, perhaps acting as a secondary messenger in the expression of SI in the TGSI line in maize.