Plant parasitic nematodes need to overcome the barrier presented by the plant cell wall in order to invade their host. A variety of plant cell wall degrading enzymes are present in endoparasitic nematodes including enzymes that degrade cellulose (beta 1,4 endoglucanases) and various pectin components. We describe the cloning and functional analysis of genes encoding GH53 arabinogalactan endo-1,4-beta-galactosidases from three related plant parasitic nematodes Globodera rostochiensis, Globodera pallida and Rotylenchulus reniformis. Phylogenetic and structural analyses strongly indicate that these genes have been acquired by horizontal gene transfer from bacteria. We show that the genes are expressed at invasive stages of the parasites in the secretory gland cells. We also demonstrate that the enzymes from these species are biochemically active, showing the expected hydrolytic enzymatic activity when galactan was used as a substrate. This work further demonstrates the importance of cell wall degradation to the success of the parasitic process and the extensive role that horizontal gene transfer has played in the evolution of plant parasitism by nematodes.