For VIGS experiments, N. benthamiana and tomato (cv M82) seeds were sown on soil and incubated at 4°C for two days. After germination, N. benthamiana and tomato plantlets were transplanted into pots containing soil and sand (1:1), and were grown at 24°C and 16°C, respectively (photoperiod, 16 h: 8 h, light: dark).
For RNAseq analysis, seeds of tomato (cv St Pierre) were surface-sterilized with chlorine solution (0.375% w/v active chlorine) and washed three times with 1 mL of milli-Q water. About 10-15 sterile seeds were sown on a Gamborg B5 (Duchefa Biochemie) agar plates (1x Gamborg B5; pH = 6.4; 1% w/v Sucrose; 0.7% w/v Agar), placed at 24°C for 48 h for germination, and finally transferred in a growth chamber (8-h light; 16-h dark, 20°C). Meloidogyne incognita J2s were sterilized with HgCl 2 (0.01% v/v) and streptomycin (0.7% w/v) as described before (Caillaud and Favery, 2016) . One to two weeks after germination, roots were inoculated with 1,000 sterile J2s resuspended in phytagel (5% w/v) per petri dishes.