The root-knot nematode effector MiEFF12 targets the host ER quality control system to suppress immune responses and allow parasitism.

ABSTRACT: Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) are microscopic parasitic worms able to infest the roots of thousands of plant species, causing massive crop yield losses worldwide. They evade the plant's immune system and manipulate plant cell physiology and metabolism to transform a few root cells into giant cells, which serve as feeding sites for the nematode. RKN parasitism is facilitated by the secretion in planta of effector molecules, mostly proteins that hijack host cellular processes. We describe here a conserved RKN-specific effector, effector 12 (EFF12), that is synthesized exclusively in the oesophageal glands of the nematode, and we demonstrate its function in parasitism. In the plant, MiEFF12 localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). A combination of RNA-sequencing analysis and immunity-suppres

SUBMITTER: Soule S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11222708 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature